


Home Again [REWRITE]

by iHateFridays



Series: Home Again [2]
Category: Poptropica (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Poptropica, Poptropica timeeee, lmao boys we're back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 76,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27469150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iHateFridays/pseuds/iHateFridays
Summary: Alice is a troubled girl. She's been struggling with a crippled leg, and is heavily bullied by other students. Her only solace is a computer game, Poptropica. One day, she gets sucked into the world of her favourite game, and meets her Poptropican, Fierce Fox. It seems like a dream come true, but it turns out something bad is brewing, and Alice and her friends have to put a stop to it to save Poptropica. REWRITE OF ORIGINAL HOME AGAIN.
Series: Home Again [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1116684
Kudos: 1





	1. Losing hope

**Author's Note:**

> A\N: Hello Poptropica fandom, long time no see. This fanfic really is an old classic of mine, started back in 2016. :0 Reading it back now, there are so, so many problems with the original Home Again I could make a forty chapter analysis on it. So I decided to do a rewrite of the story, with a plot that (hopefully) makes sense, more fleshed out characters, and more. Now, I understand that Poptropica nerfed a lot of the old islands. However, this fanfiction takes place in 2016, so before all the old islands got nerfed lol. (So yes, I'll be using Monkey Wrench too. Since the new tutorial Island isn't really that exciting anyway lol.) I'm not going to completely change the original story, however there will definitely be some differences (aside from general writing improvement lol).
> 
> The sequel has also been deleted, might (emphasise might) rewrite it too when more Poptropica updates come out. So everything that happened in the sequel isn't canon anymore. Tbh that thing needs a rewrite even more than this story does lmao. But we'll worry about that some other time.
> 
> Before we get into the story, one last shout out to the fanfic that inspired this and the original Home Again, the Teen Titans fanfic I Belong by SNOffourier on Fanfiction . net, go check it out, if you like Home Again and Teen Titans, you'll like I Belong. Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. Welcome to the rewrite!

I'd always found it ironic that I actually felt more lonely around other people than I did by myself, especially at school.

I thought I'd get used to it after a while. I thought that if I pretended it didn't bother me, I'd be fine. But I was doing nothing but lying to myself. Every little sneer, little head turn, little glare, chipped away on my soul, one piece at a time. You'd think I'd learn. You'd think I'd understand that this was just how my life was going to be. But I kept naively hoping things would get better, when things only kept going further and further downhill.

The worst part of my life wasn't the crutches I had to use all the time. Fine. Maybe I couldn't become an Olympic sprinter. I didn't care. No, what really got to me was everyone _else_ at school.

I was just walking out of my classroom, minding my own business, crutches under my arms. I'd gotten used to grabbing my things without anyone else's help. Not that I had many things to carry.

There was another student ahead of me. That day, I suppose I was feeling a little hopeful. A little _naive_. After all, the student looked friendly enough. I tried to say hi. But the student just ignored me and moved on.

Sniggering built up behind me, beside me, ahead of me. A flash of red hair raced right before my eyes. I knew those piercing blue eyes from anywhere. Chrissi Laughlin, the biggest tormenter of my life, the ringleader of all the laughter. One of the many reasons I struggled to get out of bed every morning.

"Good morning, Crashice," she hissed. "Did you think I forgot to greet you?"

I wished I had the power to run away, or at least fight back. But I had nothing. No strength, no stamina, I was spineless, gutless, worthless. I couldn't even speak up for myself.

I gazed up at the monster that haunted my nightmares. She was tall and slim, with short, curly red hair, and pale, freckled skin. She wore a simple mint-green sweater with a white heart on the center, a grey belt, and blue jeans. A gold necklace dangled around her neck. I suppose if I was anyone else I'd think she was pretty. But to me she was nothing but a demon.

_Please… just leave me alone…_

Faces jeered at me from every angle. Chrissi held out a foot, knocking over one of my crutches. I held out my hand, grabbing onto the grey wall at the very last second. My chest rose and fell.

_Why are you doing this to me…_

"Don't look so sad, Crashice," Chrissi giggled. "We'll get to see plenty more of each other this week."

Tears burned behind my eyes. 'This week' was only the beginning. She was going to be there for the rest of my school years. I was trapped in an endless cycle. No escape.

_But it's what I deserve… they wouldn't bully me if I wasn't so useless._

_I can't even run away… I really am worthless._

The school bell rang. My whole body tensed up. The other students cleared out, leaving me all alone in the hall once again. I breathed out, grabbing my crutches. Every day, it got harder and harder to get up. I didn't have much fight left.

But my mother was waiting for me, so I didn't have a choice.

* * *

Mom smiled at me as I made my way over to the car, school bag over my shoulder. She looked similar to me, except she had brown hair instead of blonde, and her skin was a deep tan. Her eyes were the same brown as mine, though. She wore a white cardigan and jeans, as well as black boots.

Our car was a small blue sedan, a second hand. The passenger seat was open for me as well. I breathed out. At least I'd still be able to drive in the future, I suppose. After the fun venture that was taking off my crutches and fitting them in the car, I got into the passenger seat, slipping my seatbelt on.

"Hi, honey," Mom smiled at me. "How was school?"

"What do you think?" I deadpanned.

"Honey…" Mom reached out a hand.

"Why do I have to keep going there?!" I shouted, looking away. "Everyone hates me!"

"Alice, please…" Mom reached out a hand.

"Let's just go home," I snapped.

Mom sighed heavily, turning the car on. We didn't say a word the entire trip home. As soon as we got home, I stormed inside as fast as I could, dumping my school bag on the kitchen table. I limped down the small hallway, crutches clanking against the wooden floor. Our house was a simple unit; two bedrooms, a small living room and kitchen, one bathroom/laundry, and that was it. My bedroom was at the end of the hallway, opposite the bathroom/laundry.

Our house was fairly neat, I'd say; plain curtains, some nice tables, white walls and wooden flooring. A few fake plants here and there. Nothing to brag about, but nice enough. My own room wasn't that much of a sight. It was simple enough: a single bed with a plain white doona, a desk with my laptop and schoolwork, a window with pink curtains, a cupboard for clothes, a large mirror, and a wooden floor. Maybe it was plain… but I liked the simplicity. Anything more would've been too much for me.

I gazed at the mirror. I looked like a mess; my short, blonde hair was disheveled, and bags were under my brown eyes. I wore a white t-shirt with grey sleeves, puffy at the end. The shirt hung off my bony frame. My skirt was grey as well, matching my grey socks. My shoes were black flats. A little bow headband was on top of my head. I grimaced, turning away. I couldn't look at myself anymore.

I'd almost been slightly gangly; I wasn't tall by any means, I'd say about average height, but I could never get my body to look quite as slim and attractive as a model's. It had gotten even worse after the accident, the accident where my life had fallen apart. The accident that I hated to talk about.

I sat on the chair at my desk, crutches leaning against the wall. It was arguably the best chair in the house; large, comfy and soft. It was one of the few places where I could sit and forget about my worries for a few hours. I opened up my silver laptop, switching it on. After a few minutes of waiting for it to boot up, I opened up a browser, light covering my face. Then I opened up the best website of all time: Poptropica.

Even the blue loading screen was enough to get me smiling out of pure anticipation. I watched a group of Poptropicans running across the screen. After that, I clicked 'returning player', and eagerly signed in.

My Poptropican Fierce Fox appeared on screen, landing on Home island. She was a Poptropican with the same skin tone as me, long, fiery red hair, a yellow shirt with a music note on it, and a black jacket and skirt. She also wielded the 'Lightning Staff' item. She looked really badass in my opinion, way more badass than I ever would...

My grin grew wider as Fierce Fox bypassed a friendly-looking Amelia and hopped onto her big, golden blimp, leaving the safety of HUB island to venture into the world of Poptropica. Of course I took her to my favourite island, Mythology Island. Mythology Island, as you might have gathered from the title, was based on Greek Mythology. While it was my favourite island, all of the islands were near and dear to my heart. Poptropica _itself_ was very near and dear to my heart.

No, that wasn't doing it justice. The game had been there for me through thick and thin. If my crutches were there to support my legs, then Poptropica was there to support my psyche. No matter how much went down at school, Poptropica gave me the escapism I needed. It was one of the few things that kept me going, no matter what.

My breathing got heavy as I led Fierce Fox through the island I'd played countless times. I choked up as we approached Zeus' palace on Mount Olympus.

 _Fierce Fox is so lucky,_ I thought, a tear trickling down my cheek, splashing on my laptop screen. _She gets a life full of adventure… all I get is torture…_

" _Foolish mortal!_ " Zeus boomed. " _How dare you enter my realm!_ "

Lightning crackled around his body. I rolled my eyes; the idiot never learned. He had nothing on Fierce Fox and I. I'd played the island to death; I could beat him in my sleep. He reminded me of Chrissi, interestingly; he was nothing but a bully who thought he had infinite power. The difference was I could always beat him. Chrissi always defeated me.

I directed Fierce Fox around, using the combined power of Poseidon's trident and Hades' crown to defeat Zeus. The god cringed and fell back, securing my medallion for the gazillionth time.

Pitifully, I wished I could do the same thing with the people at school. But I had no such power.

My tears picked up again as Athena gave Fierce Fox the medallion. I was green with envy. I wanted that life more than anything; but I could never have it. It was all just a computer game. I was stuck in the real world with no one but myself to cry to.

I slumped back in my chair, my tears becoming a waterfall. I sobbed and sobbed, my breaths heaving. My eyes were red and puffy, my throat choked. I clutched my laptop like a lifeline.

_All I want is something better… something better than my life._


	2. The Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter might be a little triggering; just a warning.

I was in the best place in the world. A peaceful field, no one there to bother me. It was just me and nature. My leg was fine as well, so I had freedom to run as much as I wanted. I danced through fields of colourful flowers, opening my mouth to sing a glorious song of-

"Alice!"

I sat up, disgruntled, before realising what was going on. I dipped my head, scrunching up the doona on top of me. My heart burned. I wanted to hide beneath the doona and disappear forever.

"Alice, you're going to be late for school!" Mom shouted.

"I know," I grumbled. "I'm getting up."

I reached for my crutches, forcing myself out of bed. I put on similar clothes to the previous day; grey skirt, grey socks, white shirt with grey sleeves, and a bow upon my blonde hair. I briefly gazed at myself in the mirror; I swear I looked young for my age. I was 14, but my skinniness made me look younger. I forced my gaze away.

Once I was dressed and ready to go, I made my way into the kitchen, crutches under arms. I sat at the kitchen table, a plate of steaming scrambled eggs placed in front of me.

Mom smiled at me from behind the kitchen bench. "Eat up, Alice. You're going to do great today."

I limply picked up a fork. "I doubt it."

The food was tasty (Mom was a good cook), but it didn't make me feel any more optimistic. No matter how much I tried to force a smile on my face, I knew it would be gone by the end of the day.

After breakfast, Mom and I headed towards the car. I got in, crutches in the backseat as usual. Mom reversed out of our driveway, heading onto the road. She gave me another smile.

"Don't look so down," she told me. "You're a strong person, dear. Don't listen to anything they say."

I tch-ed, looking out the window. "Yeah, right. I'm not strong. I'm worthless."

"Don't say such things about yourself, Alice," Mom said, gently. "Be positive. Today is going to be a good day."

My hope was still slipping. We stayed silent for the rest of the drive. My mom parked in the usual spot at the front of the school. I opened the door, biting my lip. Mom gave me one last encouraging grin.

"Good luck," she told me. "Stay strong."

I breathed out. I couldn't stay strong for myself… but I would for Mom. For the meantime.

After yet another fun venture of getting me and my crutches into school, I walked over to my grey locker. As usual, everyone was ignoring me, which was kind of a relief. Chrissi also wasn't around, thank the gods. I got out my things for maths, keeping myself steady. I'd mastered the art of multitasking, and could carry books and myself at the same time. Still, I couldn't stop the shivers crawling down my spine.

_Please let today be okay… please, just this once…_

* * *

I wish I could say I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I could say things went okay in the end. Because, surprisingly enough, up until lunchtime, it was all smooth sailing.

Maths wasn't my favourite class, I wasn't bad at it, I'd say about average, but that particular day I excelled at it. Even the teacher was impressed at the work I did.

Next up was science, my favourite class. I'd always dreamed of becoming a biologist, so every science class I took was another step towards that dream, and that class was no exception. Once again, the teacher was very impressed with my work; an experiment I created. She even stated that I had a lot of potential.

Then I had history. There was a sub for that class, who pretty much let us do whatever we wanted for an hour. I used that chance to finish up some work for other subjects, getting some work off my plate. After that was drama. I actually had a surprising amount of fun in that class; I got to wear a silly dress and watch some students perform. It was pretty amusing, actually.

Lunch was where it all went downhill.

It started out fine. I was in the cafeteria que, which was notoriously crazy. Luckily, I managed to secure a good spot in the line, food tray in front of me. People kept their distance, allowing me to keep my crutches in place. The food from the front counter didn't seem to smell _too_ bad, which I was thankful for. I was standing near some larger boys and a girl from my maths class. A girl who happened to be the only nice person in the school.

Her name was Louisa van Tullekan, but most people just called her 'Lou'. She was the only person that actually treated me like a human being, smiling at me in the hallways, waving at me, and not blatantly ignoring me. She never even laughed at me or called me 'Crashice'. I'd always wanted to be friends with her; she was a pretty popular student, being both good at academics and sports, and she was kind-hearted as well. A rare combination.

She was slightly taller than me, with olive skin, and medium length brown hair tied into low pigtails. She wore an expensive-looking brown leather jacket that covered a green shirt that went from light green to dark green, and grey leggings with white converses. She wore jean shorts on top of the leggings, and had little white studs in her ears. Her blue eyes flashed behind a pair of glasses. So, she was pretty too. My physical appearance wasn't something that kept me up at night, but I couldn't help but feel ugly and gangly next to her. My crutches didn't help in that factor.

There was one major problem that hindered our potential friendship, however: Louisa was best friends with Chrissi. That's right, the angel was best friends with the devil. Chrissi would never allow it to happen. Not like I understood their friendship, anyway; they were polar opposites. According to rumours, they were apparently lovers or had been lovers. Of course, rumours were rumours. Whatever the case, it was true that Louisa and I would never be able to connect without Chrissi intervening.

We got closer to the front counter. I could see the lunch ladies were preparing some hot dogs. I eyed the mustard bottle, but it was out of my reach.

Louisa gave me a beam as she saw me. She followed my gaze, and grabbed the mustard bottle.

"Here you go," she held it out to me.

I grabbed the bottle. "T-Thanks."

And that's when tragedy struck. As I was opening the mustard bottle, a hand clamped down on my shoulder, nails digging into skin. I squeaked in surprise, accidentally squeezing the mustard bottle. The mustard came flying out, drenching Louisa's jacket in the yellow muck. She shrieked in surprise.

"Oh my God…!" I breathed out. "Louisa, I-"

"Crashice!" I knew who that hand belonged to. Chrissi was standing behind me, a grin on her face. "You clumsy _bitch_. I can't believe you did that to her!"

A wicked gleam was in her eyes. My body trembled.

"No, I… I didn't do it on purpose!" I stammered. I turned back to Louisa. "Louisa, I-"

"Alice, how could you…?" her voice trembled, as she wiped the mustard off her jacket. "This jacket… it was my mother's…"

My eyes watered. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Crashice," I heard the jeers all around me. "Crashice!"

My whole body trembled. Everything around me blurred.

"No one wants you here, Crashice," Chrissi hissed, looming above me. "Why don't you go and die somewhere?"

My throat choked up. My arms shook. My legs screamed in pain. The voices grew louder.

_CRASHICE. CRASHICE. CRASHICE._

I grabbed my crutches, making my escape from the group of students. I moved as fast as I could, almost skipping at some points. My legs screamed and screamed at me. I didn't stop until I was out in the hallway, my chest heaving. I avoided all teachers; even they would laugh at me. I had no one.

My lungs burned. The exit was so close. I slumped against the wall, isolated.

I pulled out my phone, sending a text to my mother.

_Please come pick me up. Now._

Mom replied, _Why?_

_Just come now please_

I made my way outside the school, my chest still heaving. I didn't care about my bag, I just had to get out of there. I let out a huge sigh of relief as Mom's car finally pulled up. I opened up the passenger door, throwing my crutches in, and slumping down in the passenger seat.

Mom frowned at me. "Alice…"

"Take me home," I told her.

"Alice, what's going on?" Mom tilted her head. "You-"

"JUST TAKE ME HOME NOW!" I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I'M NEVER GOING TO SCHOOL AGAIN!"

Mom's lip trembled. "Alice, tell me what happened."

"What do you _think_ happened!?" I demanded. "I'm just a worthless piece of shit! I don't deserve to live!"

Tears continued to stream down my cheeks; my throat was choked. Mom's own eyes watered for a moment. She breathed out.

"... okay, honey," she said. "We'll go home."

* * *

As soon as we got home, I stormed to my room, dragging my crutches behind me. I ignored my mom's pleas. I didn't want to hear it anymore. There was only one place I wanted to be.

I reached my room, and crashed into my bed. My sobbing grew harder, drenching the pillows. I ignored my mother again. All I could hear was the sound of my own screaming.

_I really am worthless… stupid… stupid… Crashice…_

I wasn't sure how long I sat there for. Hours, minutes, it was all the same. But eventually I got up, limping out of bed. The sky was darker; I closed my curtains. I reached my desk, and I fell into my chair. I booted up my computer, my fingers automatically typing away. I didn't even need to look up to peer at the blue screen in front of me. My vision was completely blurred with tears and sobs.

The screen in front of me flashed white. A glitch? Then, everything around me turned white. I shook my head. Was I dying? Before I could cry out, everything around me vanished, and I felt the world shifting around me…


	3. Monkey Wrench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Once again, I'm doing Monkey Wrench and not the new tutorial island since the new one sucks and this story takes place in 2016 anyway lol

My head was screaming at me, and my legs felt like they were being flayed alive. There was nothingness around me, nothing but scorching pain. And then… it was fine. All the pain was gone. I almost felt light, and airy…

… _what the Hell is going on?_

My eyes fluttered open. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the brilliant blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds. The sky seemed to stretch all around me, even below me…

… _wait, am I on an island?!_

I stood up, the ground beneath me swaying. I was standing on a stone bridge. Thousands of miles below me was the great blue sea. Nearby me was a blue retro plane covered in dirt and grime.

There was a pilot standing next to the plane. She was very familiar, with fair skin, short, ginger hair, and a wrench in hand. She was wearing a leather brown cap with an eagle print and goggles, a brown zip-up jacket, and leather pants. She was human-ish, aside from her floating head, potato-shaped body, and stick-like legs and arms.

 _Wait, that's…_ my nausea began kicking in. _That's Amelia from Poptropica…_

The place I was standing was… familiar. No, more than _familiar_. I knew exactly where I was.

I was in Poptropica.

I stumbled over in pure fear, heart racing. I glanced at my hands; my thumbs were completely gone. Not only that, but my legs… were… fine? There was no pain coming from them at all…

"Hey, are you okay?"

I looked up. Amelia was gazing down at me, offering a hand.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" she joked.

_What's going on… is this a dream? This has gotta be a dream…_

I reached out, taking her hand. She pulled me up, beaming at me.

"What's your name?" she asked.

_This isn't real…_

"Alice…" I stammered. I wanted to pinch myself. I could stand without the support of my crutches. Amelia from Poptropica was in front of me, _talking_ to me. My head was spinning like a record.

"Nice to meet you, Alice!" Amelia grinned at me. "My name's… hey, what are you doing?"

All the pinch did was give me a prick of pain. I closed my eyes, and opened them again. I was still here. I was in Poptropica.

"You're real…" I breathed.

"Uh, yes…?" Amelia raised her brow.

_How is this possible?! How the Hell did I get into Poptropica?!_

"Well, anyway, my name's Amelia," Amelia told me. She tapped the side of her plane. "And with this bad boy, I'm going to-"

"Enter the Flying Ace Race," I said before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth.

"Yeah, that's correct!" Amelia nodded. She tilted her head. "How'd you know that? Are you entering too?"

"I, uh…" I paled, sweating all over. "N-No, I just… I just heard about it."

"Ah, I see," Amelia grinned. "I'm actually entering with a friend, but I don't know where she is right now." She made a face. "You haven't seen her around, have you? Her name is Fierce Fox."

My blood ran cold. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would implode. Fierce Fox was on Home Island. I was in Poptropica. With _my own Poptropican_.

"F-Fierce Fox… ?" I got out.

"Yeah," Amelia nodded. "Have you seen her?"

I didn't know what to say. My hands shook. Sweat built on my forehead.

_Fierce Fox… Fierce Fox is really here?!_

"I… I don't know where she is…" I stammered. My vision started to gain a blurry edge. "Excuse me, I-I have to go."

I stumbled away, my chest heaving. My vision continued to blur. I blinked heavily, shaking my head. It didn't help my racing heart. I glanced at my spiny, Poptropican legs, almost as if they weren't real. They didn't feel _real_ , yet there they were. I was walking without my crutches. I could _run_ without my crutches. But most importantly, I was _free_ from my world. I was inside my favourite game.

Up ahead was a tall, fancy-looking barber shop. A big sign that said 'New You' was at the front.

I glanced at my thumbless hand again. _Wait, if my legs and hands look like a Poptropican's, then…_

I headed inside the New You building. It was two storeys, the top storey having mannequins dressed in various outfits, and the bottom layer containing all sorts of equipment needed for sewing. Posters of sewing adorned the brown walls. I saw a few sewing machines lying around. A woman with messy brown hair in a bun and glasses smiled at me, a pair of scissors in hand.

"Hello dear," she greeted. "Can I help you?"

"I… just need a mirror," I got out.

"Oh, of course!" she chuckled. "We all need one of those, don't we?"

She led me to the back of the store, revealing a large mirror. And then I stopped, unable to move.

I looked just as I did as a human: short, wavy blonde hair, grey skirt, white shirt with grey sleeves, black shoes… but I was a Poptropican. My neck was gone, my body was potato-shaped, my legs and arms had turned to thin twigs, and my eyes were huge and bulbous. But my legs… my legs _worked_. I could run, I could walk, I could jump!

And I knew Poptropicans could jump much further than regular humans, so… I'd essentially become a superhuman. My huge eyes watered.

_Please don't let this be a dream… please…_

"Your outfit is very chic," the woman told me, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It's plain, but it's uniquely _you_. You're quite the star."

I wondered if Poptropicans could blush. I certainly felt the heat going to my cheeks.

After that, I left the store, once again standing there in absolute disbelief. I took small steps, observing the sky above.

 _I'm really here,_ I thought. _This is too good to be true. There's no way that this is real-_

SLAM

I yelped, landing on my butt. I shook my head. A hand was in front of my face.

"Sorry." a gruff voice grunted.

I looked up, nearly choking on my own spit. It was a Poptropican with long, fiery red hair, a black jacket and skirt, a yellow t-shirt with a music note, and black boots.

"Fierce Fox…" I uttered.

Fierce Fox scowled, glare piercing right into my soul. "How do you know my name?"

"I, uh," I sweat-beaded. "Amelia told me…"

"You know Amelia?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Yep," I replied. "You're, uh, entering a race with her. She told me."

"Mmm," Fierce Fox agreed, scanning me once again. "You entering too?"

"I, uh…" I whimpered. "N-No…"

Fierce Fox glanced over me one more time, before walking away. She stood on the bridge, not doing anything, weirdly enough. She just… stood there.

"Um…" I made my way beside her. "What are you doing…?"

"Waiting," she huffed.

"For what…?" I asked.

Fierce Fox rolled her eyes. "The voice, duh."

"The voice…?" I made a face.

"What, you have amnesia or something?" Fierce Fox grunted. "We've all got a voice in our head. It's like an arrow, almost, that tells you what to say and where to go. You've got one too, right?"

"Oh... um... of course I do." I stammered, shaking my head.

 _The voice is like an arrow that's in your head.. It tells you where to go and what to do… then the voice must be the players!_ I silently gasped. I'm _Fierce Fox's voice! That means… she's waiting for me! But… but I'm here, not on my laptop…_

"So… did the voice tell you to come here?" I asked.

"I think you should get your amnesia checked out," Fierce Fox grumbled. "The voice calls me when it needs me. It said around here somewhere, so now I wait for it."

I tapped my fingers together. _Well, since I'm in Poptropica and not in my world... I'm Fierce Fox's voice... of course she would come to me! I'm here!_

I stared at my hands. _But that means… that means I'm the one who has to tell her what to do. I'm the one who has to make all the choices. She needs me. But she doesn't know it._

My body shivered. I glanced at the plane. Monkey Wrench was the island I'd been about to play back at home.

_The Flying Ace Race… Monkey Wrench Island… here I go…_

Inhaling deeply, I stared at Amelia. I trotted up the bridge, briefly glancing at Fierce Fox. I placed myself in front of the pilot; she turned to me and smiled.

"Hello, Alice!" she beamed. "Have you seen Fierce Fox?"

And just like that, Fierce Fox stood in front of me and faced Amelia.

The pilot grinned at her. "Hello, Fierce Fox! Are you ready to start the race?"

Fierce Fox tapped her chin, thinking away. I sucked in my breath.

"She's ready, I think," I got out.

Fierce Fox gave me a weird look.

"Um... yes, let's go." she said to Amelia, avoiding my eyes. The pilot clapped her hands together and climbed into her plane's backseat. Her finger pressed a button, bringing the plane's engine to life.

"Climb in, Fierce Fox!" Amelia encouraged, gripping the steering wheel. Fierce Fox jumped (literally) from her spot into the front seat. It confused me why Fierce Fox was in the front; wasn't Amelia the pilot? Perhaps planes worked differently in Poptropica…

Then said pilot turned to me. My heart sank. I knew she was going to leave me there, all on my own. That didn't surprise Fox needed me, but Amelia didn't.

_How do I convince her to let her bring me along? No… she wouldn't want to do that. No one would want Crashice to tag along._

Amelia looked at me, sympathy in her eyes. "Wanna come with us, Alice?"

I stepped back, my mouth falling open. "R-Really?!"

"But.. how will she fit in?" Fierce Fox growled, glaring me down. My heart sank even lower.

_She hates me already… I'm her voice, and she can't stand me…_

"Well..." Amelia said, tapping her chin. She squished over to the side, leaving a space next to her. She patted the leather seat. "You can sit next to me."

My eyes watered, but I refused to let it show. Someone actually wanted me to hang out with them? Since when did that happen?

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean…" _you don't know what will happen with me…_

Amelia just nodded, patting the seat beside her. "Come aboard!"

I sighed and slowly climbed into the plane, with a bit of help from Amelia. I wasn't quite used to Poptropican physics. The plane took off into the sky and I tried not to scream. It still didn't feel _real_.

* * *

We flew high up into the sky, where we were surrounded by other aircrafts, and the ocean miles below. I recognized a helicopter from Reality TV Island, a balloon chair from Cryptids, a robot phoenix from Astro Knights, and a flying pirate ship from Skullduggery. A referee, standing on a floating platform and holding a race flag, beamed at us.

"The prize is this medallion," the referee said, holding a shiny, golden circular necklace attached to a red leash. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

The referee turned to Fierce Fox, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I spoke up. Fierce Fox jumped, staring back at me again. I shrivelled away from her gaze. And then the plane started moving, almost making me scream.

"Woohoo!" cried Amelia. At least she was having a good time; I was downright terrified. I put my huge head between my skinny knees. I looked behind and saw that we were second place, as expected. I avoided making eye contact with the ocean, just so I didn't get dizzy.

Suddenly, up ahead, I spotted a red plane similar to ours. However, it was much newer and it had a target under the wing and on the tail.

"The Red Baroness!" I cried, as we neared her plane. She turned to us with a wicked smile.

"Your little friend is correct!" she cackled. Her hands were behind her back; I knew she was going to throw a wrench at us. "Sorry to throw a wrench in your plans!"

"MOVE!" I screamed, my voice aching from the strain on my throat. But it was too late. The wrench crashed onto the plane, damaging the engine. It went up in a puff of smoke; we started zooming down. I let out a scream. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring my vision. I didn't know which way was up anymore. Our plane took a nosedive down, wind screeching nearby me.

I found my arms and legs, forcing myself into a little ball. I closed my eyes, teeth chattering. Time was going so fast yet so slow. Where was anything anymore?

 _I can't be in another accident,_ I whimpered. _I can't live through another-_

"Alice," a voice said near me. "We're okay."

I curled out from my ball and looked around. I was still in the backseat of the plane, somehow alive. In fact, I did not have even one scratch. Boy, I was thankful I was in Poptropica and not in my world. If I was, I'd be very dead. Trust me, I knew from personal experience.

Then I looked around, instantly recognizing that we were on Monkey Wrench Island, judging by the green trees everywhere, along with green grass and leaves on the floor. Every now and again I spotted a piece of disregarded stone.

Amelia was still next to me, thinking. "Do you know where Fierce Fox is?" She gazed at her plane. "Oh dear. We're a bit stuck."

We both observed the plane. Its wheels had been caught in some foliage, and we were dangling above the ground.

"Yeah," I pointed behind us. "Fierce Fox is back that way."

I bet she was happy she didn't end up with me.

The pilot gave me a curious look. "How do you know that?"

"Uh, I saw her," I got out, quickly.

"Did you?" Amelia replied, tugging at the foliage. "Hmmm… you intrigue me, Alice. I'd like to get to know you better if we weren't stuck in a tree."

That sentence warmed my heart… but it felt strange, too. No one apart from my family had ever said something so _nice_ to me before. I almost found it in myself to smile.

"Thanks," I replied, looking behind me. I heard the squeal of a monkey from far away. I raised my voice as loud as I could.

"Follow it!" I cried, hoping that Fierce Fox would hear it.

"Hm... I think the propeller is broken..." Amelia mused, staring at the propeller.

"It's more than the propeller," I muttered. I kept looking over the edge, hoping that Fierce Fox and the monkey would come running. Eventually she did come, following a little monkey. I waved to them,

"Fierce Fox!" I pointed to a bunch of stone pillars nearby us. "Jump up here using those platforms, then jump on the plane twice!"

Fierce Fox stared at me, lip curled. The monkey was somehow already on the plane (thanks, Poptropica logic) and jumping on it. Fierce Fox leaped up the platforms like an acrobat and joined the monkey on the plane. She (reluctantly) followed my instructions and jumped on the plane, causing the foliage to snap and us to fall to the ground.

"Whoa!" Amelia chuckled. "You have some great intuition, Alice!"

We climbed out of the plane. Fierce Fox stood there with her arms crossed.

Amelia patted my shoulder. "Now we just need a wrench."

I was already on my way to the beach, where I knew the aforementioned wrench was being held by a crab. I'd played Monkey Wrench enough times that I could pretty much recite Amelia's dialogue by heart, so I didn't need to listen to _all_ her dialogue.

The monkey followed me and we ended up on said sandy beach. There were two piles of rocks facing each other, with a large, see-saw-like rock sticking out from each of them. The crab was hiding under the right one, clutching a wrench in its claws. The monkey, knowing what to do jumped on the see-saw rock, forcing the crab out. It waddled across the sand and hopped under the left rock.

"Oh no you don't." I said, walking over to the rock. I climbed up onto the rock (the thought of jumping made me apprehensive) and my weight forced it down, shoving the crab out into the open. It looked around, sweating up a storm. Its pupils narrowed and it burrowed into the sand, leaving behind the wrench.

I walked over and picked up the wrench. For some odd reason, it glowed, then floated into a leather backpack on my back that hadn't been there before. I immediately recognised the backpack as the item bag.

 _How did that get there?_ I thought, reaching out to touch it. But as I did, the backpack vanished.

_Okay then…_

I assumed that was what Poptropicans saw when they collected items. The monkey squeaked, bouncing in front of me.

I chuckled, "Chill out, little guy. Come on, let's go back to the others."

The monkey ran off, squealing as it ran. I slowly followed after it, my legs feeling rather light. I resisted the urge to skip and dance like a little kid.

_They haven't felt this good since... back then…_

The monkey and I returned to Fierce Fox, whose arms were folded, and Amelia, who on the other hand, looked happy to see us.

"Did you find the wrench?" Amelia asked me. I nodded, and just as I did, the bag appeared on my back. I tried not to look alarmed at the fact that a backpack had just magically poofed onto my back. I wondered if they could even see it.

Anyway, I grabbed out the wrench and handed it to Amelia.

She plopped it on the ground and stared at me. "Do you know how to use it?"

My eyes went wide and I shook my head. I had no experience with tools, so I was going to be pretty unhelpful. But I knew someone who actually _could_ be helpful.

"Fierce Fox knows how to use it." I said quietly, staring at said grumpy Poptropican, who was watching us with envy. She turned her head to the side as she eyed me.

"I do know how to use it." she agreed, walking over to us and picking up the wrench. Her eyes settled on the plane and she jumped on it with ease. She twisted the propeller back on with a few turns of the wrench. When she was done, the wrench vanished from her hand. I assumed that it went into her inventory.

"Looks good!" Amelia grinned. "Come on, let's fly." She saw me shaking my head and raised an eyebrow.

"It's not going to work," I explained. "The plane is more broken than just the propeller."

"How do you know?" Fierce Fox and Amelia asked at the same time. However, Fierce Fox was much more… aggressive. Amelia, on the other hand, chuckled.

"Your intuition again?" Amelia winked. "Or you know a thing or two about planes."

"But how can you even prove that it's broken?" questioned Fierce Fox, taking a step towards me. I ignored my heavy breathing.

"It... it just won't work... look." I said, going over to the front of the plane. I tapped the front of the plane; the engine coughed an unhealthy amount of smoke.

"So what do we need to do then, know-it-all?" asked Fierce Fox, hands on hips. I suppose 'know-it-all' was better than Crashice.

_I'll have to tell them, won't I…? No, I can't… this isn't real… it's not real… but what if I'm stuck in here forever? Is that really a bad thing?_

I snapped myself out of it. The other two were waiting for an answer.

"We need to go this way." I said, pointing to a raised platform of dirt, that spread out for the rest of the island. I knew if we went that way it would take us to Crusoe and his hotel. The monkey caught my eye and jumped up to the top.

I looked back at the other two, "Uh, let's go."

Amelia jumped over my head, landing gracefully on top of the platform. Fierce Fox followed, giving me a glance before she disappeared after Amelia. I stared at the platform, my legs trembling and my lip quivering.

 _Come on Alice, stop being a coward and jump_. I scolded myself. I bent my legs and sweat covered my face. Why couldn't I stop my heart from racing? It wasn't that hard. Yet my head was pounding.

_You're pathetic, thinking you can do anything. Crashice, you waste of space. No one wants you here._

I stared at the platform, my eyes shaking.

_My Poptropican is waiting for me…_

I walked over to it and dug my feet and hands in the dirt, like a climbing wall. Hauling myself up, I eventually made it to the top and ran after the other two. I tried to ignore the sweat all over my body.

_I did it…_

_But I did it so pathetically… I really am useless…_

* * *

I walked into an area - a resort, specifically - where there was a large frame-work made out of bamboo, attached to a large tree stump. There was a stone statue of a monkey, with a water stream coming out of its mouth, near Amelia. Monkeys were everywhere, pulling and pushing things.

There was a little bamboo desk at the front, supported by a part of a statue, as well as a bamboo umbrella with large green leaves and a little bell.

"Hello, Alice!" Amelia grinned at me. "What took you so long?"

"Um," I started, sweating up a storm. Fierce Fox's glare pierced my soul.

"Let's see who's home." I said, running over to the bell on the desk. I tapped it with the tip of my finger; it sent a ring through the air.

A man ran over to the desk, sitting on the statue. He had slick brown hair with grey streaks, roughly combed back. He had a brown, fluffy beard covering his face, and a bubble pipe in his mouth. His clothing consisted of a white t-shirt, a grass skirt and a brown, wooden-like jacket. I knew his name was Crusoe.

"Ah... fellow adventures!" he chorused, his eyes drifting on us. Then he glared at the monkey, who was watching us from the side. "Mongo? No uniform in front of our guests?! Scat!"

Mongo squeaked and ran away, only to be replaced by a brown monkey with a monocle and a uniform.

"We can't stay, we have to win the Flying Ace Race!" Amelia exclaimed.

Crusoe smiled and nodded. "A race, you say? Reminds me when I was a young adventurer. I was a young man preparing to live my dreams-"

"Um, e-excuse me," I piped up, but he didn't seem to hear me.

He waved a hand. "Everyone wants to follow their dreams, but mine were different-"

"Excuse me," I tried again, a bit louder.

His eyes glazed over. "My father was always supportive, but even he couldn't keep up-"

" _Crusoe!_ " I said, my voice cracking.

"Well hello, young lady!" Crusoe beamed at me. "Heard of my name before, have you?"

I nodded, a nervous smiling making its way onto my face. I gazed back at the others; Amelia winked at me while Fierce Fox scowled.

Crusoe turned to Amelia. "But I digress. You want to re-enter the race?"

"Yes," Fierce Fox asked. "Can you help us?" Her gaze was on the tropical man. She inched closer to Amelia, and further from me. My heart sank again.

"Of course!" Crusoe waved a hand. "Just bring me some rope, a cloth and a refreshing fruit drink."

"A rope, a cloth and a drink?" Amelia asked. "We can find those." She did a flip in mid air and jumped over to the large stump, in front of the bamboo frame.

It was made completely out of bamboo, with lots of mechanical parts embedded in it. I saw sharp blades, covered with dried up fruit juice. There was a little wooden spout at the front, along with a red lever. The words _Crusoe's Castaway Retreat_ were written on the stump.

Fierce Fox joined Amelia and they both stared at the machine. I stood in front of them from my spot on the ground. I knew that Crusoe was actually going to use the things we were gathering to make a hammock for himself. I debated with myself whether I should tell my accomplices or not.

 _No_ , I thought. _I should keep true to the story. If I do something else, something bad might happen… and I've already screwed up enough..._

I'd never been so confused, so scared, so _enthralled_ before… I wanted to do everything and nothing at the same time. But for the minute, I decided to compromise by following the story.

"Guys, I know where we can find those items," I spoke up. "Fierce Fox, you'll need to help that monkey," I pointed to the highest, bamboo platform where a tired monkey was trying to pull a lever, "once you help that monkey, the bag of fruit will explode, putting the fruit everywhere. You'll fall down that slide," I pointed a long, curly slide, "get back up and push the fruit into a little rectangle shape box-"

"Yeah, I think I got it," Fierce Fox grumbled. "Thanks, know it all." She turned around to start jumping, but then stopped and turned back to me. "Wait... if you know all this, then why aren't you helping?"

"Um..." I mumbled, my lips going dry, "I have a leg injury."

Fierce Fox scoffed and started doing what I told her. It felt... strange, saying that. For the first time in four years I had the freedom to jump as much as I wanted and yet… I didn't want to.

_No, it's just you again. She's right. You SHOULD be helping._

"Daydreaming, are you?" Amelia asked, watching me from the edge of the platform. Luckily, I didn't jump out of my skin.

I looked away. "Um…" I paused. "Hey, um, do you have 'the voice'?"

"In fact I do," Amelia chuckled. "Well, the voice always tells me to let Fierce Fox do the work, and tells me to stay here and watch. I've always wondered why."

"Yeah, me too..." I said, glancing up at Fierce Fox, who was pulling the lever with the monkey.

 _So I guess the game itself also counts as the voice…_ I thought. _It's the voice for the NPCs. Still, Amelia seems… kind of sentient. Do the NPCs have lives outside what the voice tells them?_

Just like I said, the fruit bag exploded and Fierce Fox flew down the slide. She popped out into the little river near the slide and rubbed her head. A rope banged against her body, and added itself into her inventory. She scowled and shook off the water, like a dog. But I didn't think she was scowling because of the water. I think she was scowling because everything I said was right, again. Amelia noticed too, by the way her eyes narrowed.

"I have a question, Alice," she turned to me. "Don't take me being overly curious, but how do you always seem to know what to do and what's going to occur? Your intuition can't be that good unless you're some kind of deity."

A chill went down my spine. Then she said something that really shook my core.

Her eyes pierced mine. "You remind me of the voice, Alice _._ "

"Um..." I started, lacing my fingers together. "I…"

Then we both heard a shriek near us. The juice machine was working, letting sweet, pink juice flow into a little coconut cup. Fierce Fox hopped back down, panting.

"That was a lot of work for one little drink," she muttered, staring at me. "I suppose your 'leg injury' wouldn't be able to take it."

I watched her pick up the drink. Tears burned behind my eyes. Maybe I _was_ in my world after all… always pulling myself back…

_I don't have my leg injury anymore; why didn't I take advantage of it? Oh, that's right. Because I'm Crashice, the worthless piece of shit._

I watched Fierce Fox give everything to Crusoe. He gleamed.

"No one is to disturb me," he declared, grabbing all the stuff. "I must have complete concentration."

 _Complete concentration to sleep_ , I thought, watching him run off with a groan.

* * *

We waited a few minutes before I decided to speak again.

"He's gone off to make a hammock with the stuff we found," I explained to the girls. "He's probably snoozing now."

They both stared at me.

" _How_ do you know that?" Fierce Fox gazed at me, scowling.

I gulped. _Dammit, maybe I should be more subtle…_

"Well… I've been right every other time, haven't I?" I joked. Fierce Fox's expression made me bow my head.

"Sorry," I uttered.

"Whatever," Fierce Fox huffed. "Where is he?"

I pointed up to the right, past a few bamboo platforms. A glimpse of Crusoe's hut caught my eye, with its green banana tree leaves. I watched Fierce Fox hop up the path I had pointed, Amelia following.

I gulped and realized I was going to have to jump up if I wanted to follow them. The two of them stood there, staring at the snoozing Crusoe, without me. But that didn't surprise me; I was always the one who was left out.

"Alice!" Amelia called from the high platform. "What are you doing down there? Aren't you coming up?"

"I-I don't know if I can..." I stammered. She wanted me to be there? With herself and Fierce Fox? My little heart hammered in my chest.

But I couldn't do it.

"I've got a leg injury." I got out with a heave.

"You do?" Amelia asked, sounding surprised, "Um... stay down there then. Well, it turns out you were right anyway, Crusoe did use those supplies to make a hammock!" She chuckled. "Oh, and you should see his design for a blimp!"

I knew she was talking about a scrappy drawing that Crusoe made.

"The monkey has a better one." I called back, pathetically. My cheeks were burning a hot red. I wouldn't be surprised if they took off and left me behind.

_Who would want someone like me hanging around?_

I noticed Amelia and Fierce Fox observing the much more impressive diagram that the monkeys had given them. Then, the monkeys skidded past me, carrying the Poptropica blimp over their heads. They placed it onto the stump, right in front of the juice machine. Amelia and Fierce Fox gaped at it for a few moments. The monkeys surrounded the blimp, squealing and squeaking.

They looked at me, eagerly. I just bit my lip.

I saw Amelia jump down from the top and into the blimp, followed by Fierce Fox.

"Come on, Alice!" Amelia waved at me. "Hop on in!"

Fierce Fox just scowled and turned her back. Amelia ignored her and held out her arm. I took in a deep breath. I went to the side of the stump and stepped on the roots. I stepped up onto the stump and took Amelia's hand. She hauled me into the blimp; it started to rise into the sky.

"Where's Crusoe?" Fierce Fox sneered, glowering at me. "Oh wait, I bet psychic girl knows."

I stared at my simplistic feet. "Um… well…"

We brushed past the leaves of the tree, the blue sky getting closer and closer. Squeals of the monkeys and possibly the snores of Crusoe were around us.

"... I don't think you'll want to know..." I said quietly, staring at the bright blue sky. Maybe I _should've_ said something... but I wasn't a super big fan of Crusoe. And plus… I'd already said too much, hadn't I?

Fierce Fox gave me a weird look as we rose higher into the sky. Soon, the forest was far behind us and I could see the other aircrafts. The Red Baroness was also up ahead, making me shiver.

"We're back!" Amelia puffed out her chest. She turned to me and Fierce Fox. "Let's drop these bags to catch up."

Fierce Fox (somehow) cut off one of the bags, and it fell down to the ground. We thrusted forward, nearing the front.

Amelia clapped, "It's working, drop more!"

Fierce Fox dropped another one, and we flew forward again. I dropped the bag on the furthest right, just by touching it, and we ascended even further. Soon, we were directly behind the Red Baroness.

"You again?" she hissed. Her plane descended and smashed into our basket, making it shake. I yelped as I was flung out of the plane with a rush of wind. I just managed to grab onto the edge of the large bag with Crusoe, eyes watering. My legs dangled down, facing the long, long drop.

_Again, Crashice?_

"Good save, Alice!" Amelia said, reaching out to grab me. However, she was too high up to reach me, and my hands were getting more and more loose. The cloth was slipping between my fingers. The ocean below wasn't so beautiful anymore.

"It won't be so good when you fall!" the Red Baroness cackled, chucking a crowbar at me. It hit me in the side with a sharp pang, making my head dizzy. However, I was perfectly fine after that, and still holding on.

"I don't get Poptropican physics." I mumbled to myself. My aching hands re-captured my thoughts; I didn't have much time left. I looked down. A tiny smile made its way onto my face.

_Well, if I get to die, at least I get to die in my favourite game…_

Suddenly, I saw Amelia facing me, her legs being carried by a grumpy Fierce Fox. She held out her arms, which were close to the top of the bag.

"Grab on, Alice!" she urged, reaching out for my hands.

_You… want me to live? I… I don't deserve it…_

My chest heaved. I wanted to let go with my left arm to grab Amelia's. But I couldn't. Something was stopping me. Something was stopping me from facing the truth.

"I can't." I breathed, looking away.

_No, last time I grabbed onto something, everyone turned on me… I can't let it happen again. Just let me go._

"I'm sorry…" I muttered.

… _for you having to put up with such a cowardly, clumsy idiot._

Amelia breathed out and signaled Fierce Fox to haul her lower. The pilot grabbed my hands and pulled me back up, holding me close. She swung me back up into the basket. I slumped back down to the side, the back of the basket digging into my skin.

My eyes watered. "You saved me… you shouldn't…"

"Of course I saved you, silly," Amelia waved it off. "You needed help, and that's what I'm here for!"

A tear slid down my cheek. _No wonder they call you worthless. You can't do anything yourself._

… _but they care about me._

"Drop the last bag!" Amelia ordered Fierce Fox.

My Poptropican reached out to clip the big bag off, when Crusoe burst up from the bag.

"Crusoe?" Fierce Fox made a face.

"My airship worked?" Crusoe asked. "I mean, of course it worked!" He laughed, sipping his drink.

"Get rid of the wrench." I told Fierce Fox with a heavy breath. She got it out of her inventory and chucked it, the item almost landing on the Red Baroness' plane.

"Hey!" she growled. "You almost hit me!"

 _You almost killed me_ , I thought, narrowing my eyes at her.

But I could see she was sweating. We were catching up. We weren't quite there yet, though.

"It's still not enough!" Amelia cried.

"Ask Crusoe to get a refill of his drink then throw it over into the Red Baroness' plane." I ordered, staring at my hands. I looked away. "I, uh, I think that'll work. Ha ha."

_Ugh, I'm such a loser…_

So that's how Fierce Fox ended up stealing an asshole's drink and chucking it at a bigger asshole. The Red Baroness' beloved plane broke down and went sailing towards the ground, smoke trailing behind. Crusoe also took a hike and jumped in the Red Baroness' crashing plane, finally giving us a good advantage.

Our blimp was lighter, but I knew that since I wasn't supposed to be there, it was still heavier than in the original. However, on the flip side, we were miraculously in front.

"Come on, we're nearly there!" Amelia said. We finally passed the finish line. There was a flash of confetti as the referee waved his flag.

"Congratulations!" he cried. "You are the winners!"

Fierce Fox had a little dance. Amelia grinned and high-fived me. I hated having to force my smile in my favourite game.

...

We returned to Home island, where the referee put a medallion around Fierce Fox's neck. Confetti sprayed everywhere and the flashing lights almost blinded me.

"Thank you everyone!" Fierce Fox cried, showing off her medallion.

Of course, I knew when she said 'everyone' she didn't include me. _Who would?_

"Good job, Alice," Amelia said, patting my shoulder. "You were quite helpful."

I almost burst out laughing. "Me? Helpful? I-"

"Alice?"

The world was turning white; the sound around me was fizzling out. What was going on? Who was that speaking?

Amelia's moving face turned completely white. My hands were disappearing. All sound was gone. Everything around me vanished…

* * *

"Alice?" That voice was familiar. My eyes fluttered open and I looked around.

It was my bedroom. My desk. My house. My world.

My laptop was open in front of me, showing the ending of Monkey Wrench Island. I sat up in my chair, wiping my mucky cheeks. I gazed down at my legs; just from looking, I could tell they were back to normal selves. I had never been so relieved in my entire life to see that my legs were back to their usual selves. But the relief soon turned to heartbreak.

I had never entered Poptropica.

 _It really was just a dream…_ I lowered my head back onto my arms. _I just fell asleep at my desk, like an idiot…_

"Alice?" the voice called. My bedroom door opened and I saw my mom, standing there with a pale face.

Oh no. I'd been suspended. I could tell just by looking at her expression.

"Alice, the school said yesterday that you apparently squeezed mustard on someone at school," she stated. Her expression suddenly turned bright again. "However, the person you squeezed mustard on - Louisa, I think her name is - claimed that it was an accident, and she's not mad at you. So the school has left you off the hook."

I breathed out in relief. Louisa didn't hate me after all?

"But, even still…" Mom patted my shoulder. "I know how difficult school has been for you. You can take the day off if you want."

Part of me did want to take the day off. But I also didn't want to be around my laptop, either. I didn't want to see Poptropica, not when I'd been such a useless idiot.

"I… I'll go to school," I decided.

"Are you sure?" Mom asked.

"I'm sure." I nodded.


	4. Early Poptropica

As soon as the car drove into the school car park, I began to regret my decision. But it was too late to back out. Mom's face was set in stone. I was going to school, and there was no going back.

Perhaps I should've gone to a school with people like me… but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay at that public school. It was all I knew. I didn't want to go to a new school, where no one knew me…

… even if everyone at my current school hated me.

Mom parked at her usual spot, right in front of the school. Right there was the office, a flagpole with the American flag flying high, as well as the Minnesota state flag.

I sighed, pulling myself, my school bag, and my crutches out of the car door. Mom gave me another smile.

"Stay strong, okay?" she told me. "And ring me if you have any concerns - I'll be right here."

I nodded, before making my way to the looming front doors. I breathed in, heavily. I couldn't see any teachers or students. Of course, not like the teachers were that reliable. They only showed up when I _didn't_ need any help.

I opened the swinging doors, entering the school. Immediately, I saw a large crowd of students, some who peered at me, others who tried to avoid me. Some glared at me like I was some kind of pest. My heart clenched in my chest. Sweat pooled down my brow.

_No… I shouldn't have come here… they don't want me here…_

I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Still, I couldn't avoid their piercing stares, scanning my very soul. Every single gaze chipped away at my being. I tried my best not to tremble.

… _why?_

I got closer to my locker. People continued to glare.

_Why do… why do they hate me…?_

I reached out to my locker with a shaky hand.

_No… I deserve it…_

I opened my locker.

_I should just die…_

The girl next to me had turned up her nose. Her friend giggled. Something within me snapped.

"... what did I do…?" I uttered.

"Huh?" the girl asked.

"What did I do…?" I croaked. "For you to hate me so much…?"

The girl raised her brow in surprise. Before she could respond, the bell rang. My body trembled; I bowed my head.

_What am I saying? Everything I do is wrong…_

* * *

Surprisingly, school didn't go too bad after that. People just ignored me for the rest of the day, which I was fine with. Strangely enough, I didn't see Louisa or Chrissi anywhere. I'd heard rumours floating around that they were at home dealing with 'family business', whatever that meant. I hoped I wasn't responsible for any of it. It still was a big slice of relief when the final school bell rang at last.

I slumped into my bedroom, realising my heart was still heavy. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something bad was happening.

_I'm still hopeless... Chrissi will be back tomorrow. All I can do is run home and cry._

I slumped in my comfy chair, opening up my browser. Of course, I opened up Poptropica. As soon as the screen loaded in, my heart jumped again.

 _I really wish that dream had been real…_ my lip trembled. _Anything to get away from this world._

I gazed at Fierce Fox on screen.

_Maybe I should play Early Poptropica… it's a classic, after all._

Just as Fierce Fox's blimp was headed towards Early Poptropica, my screen turned white again. And then there was a flash of brightness…

* * *

All around me, I heard voices. I opened my eyes… and I was back in Poptropica.

It was Home Island again, looking just like it did before. Fierce Fox was gone, but Amelia was there. She was hanging out on the bridge, gazing out into the distance.

I stared at myself. I was wearing the same clothes from the previous day... well… I _looked_ exactly the same as I did the previous day. I wiggled my thumbless hand, taking a few steps back.

_Is this real…?_

Then Amelia saw me.

"Greetings Alice!" she called, giving me a wave. She gestured me over to her. I slowly trotted towards her across the bridge, taking deep breaths along the way. I stood still, facing her, feeling weird in my stomach. The ocean loomed below.

_She's so much cooler than me…_

Amelia's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Where did you go? Been waiting here awhile for you. You... just disappeared yesterday."

"Um... I-I can't really explain," I answered quickly, trying to keep my face blank. "Where's Fierce Fox?"

"Wherever the voice says she is." Amelia answered.

_Wherever the voice said she is… Of course! She's on Early Poptropica!_

I pictured her on the island, not doing anything. Almost… nihilistically.

_She's waiting for a miracle... waiting for the voice... she needs a miracle…_

"So... do you know a way to get to Early Poptropica?" I asked nervously.

Amelia gave me a grin. "In fact I do."

A few minutes later, we were back in Amelia's plane, flying over the Poptropican ocean, a great view of the islands below. I gripped the sides of the whirring plane, as if it was going to toss me out. Amelia was in the front, clutching the steering wheel. Apparently Amelia had got her plane back from Monkey Wrench and got it fixed. Don't ask me how.

"Early Poptropica is just up ahead!" the pilot called, her hair blowing back in the wind. Her glasses were pulled over her face, making her look badass as hell.

I just nodded in response as the wind blew on my face, numbing my cheeks. I glanced out the plane again, seeing if I could spot any familiar islands. All I saw were unidentifiable ones covered in grass. Then, the plane started to descend, passing clouds and seagulls. Up ahead, I could see an island that was definitely not another grass one.

"LAND AHOY!" Amelia cried, as the plane neared the island.

"Isn't that saying associated with boats… ?" I asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"Who cares?" Amelia chuckled. "Here we are!"

The plane made contact with the ground, right in the middle of the street (which is definitely illegal in real life). Amelia jumped out of the plane, landing in a way that would impress any acrobat. She removed her goggles and inhaled proudly through her non-existent nose.

"Ah... Early Poptropica," she clapped her hands. "First island ever. Did you know that?"

I tried not to groan. I'd been playing Poptropica since 2009, I knew pretty much everything there was to know about it. (Maybe even more than Amelia did... )

"Yes," was all I said, as I climbed out of the plane, my feet hitting the floor.

My legs… were working fine. I held out my arms and let the nostalgia fill my heart. We were in the main part of Early Poptropica, with the arcade, and the Soda Pop shop, the Pop Art museum... It almost made me smile, as the memories flowed back. Amelia put a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked, gently.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I got out. "Go back to Home Island. I can find Fierce Fox."

Amelia looked hesitant, but waddled back over to her plane anyway. She climbed in and turned on the engine, which groaned, and forced air to pull my hair back.

"Want me to come and get you later?" she asked, gripping the steering wheel.

"Nope, I'll be fine," I said. I've got my own way off this island."

And then I wanted to punch myself in the face.

_Own way? Seriously, Alice? What're you talking about?!_

Amelia shrugged and brought her plane to life, maneuvering it to fly off into the distance. I watched its silhouette for a few brief moments, before I mentally harassed myself.

_How on Earth am I going to find Fierce Fox?_

I made my way along the concrete path as I stared at the brilliantly blue sky. It was really quite a shock compared to the grey sky I'd been seeing in my world recently.

"Fierce Fox!" I called, my voice straining, as I passed the common room. I ran along the cement road, eventually reaching Early Poptropica. I bumped into one of the Early Poptropicans - aka a Pilgrim - who looked like a retro video game character. His blank eyes peered into my soul. I looked at him, taking a deep breath.

"Excuse me," I began, "have you seen a red-haired Poptropican girl?"

"Welcome to our town!" he chirped. "We're Poptropica's first settlers."

"Great, thanks…" I mumbled.

I stormed past him, and walked by the pale plank wooden houses with straw roofs. The ground was dirty and grubby beneath my feet.

Then I spotted Fierce Fox, gazing into the sky. She was in front of the largest cottage, which had two doors and a large straw roof.

My heart jumped with relief.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, my voice hitting her. She turned around and cocked a brow.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, making a face. My smile vanished, and I stepped back.

"I've come to help you." I answered, meekly.

"I don't need help from you," Fierce Fox scoffed. "The voice will tell me what to do."

I bit my lip. Then an idea hit me.

"Well… my voice says that _I_ have to help _you_ ," I said.

Fierce Fox glared at me; a suspicion lurked deep in the back of her yellow eyes. I took a tiny step back.

"Come on, we have to talk to him." I said, pointing to a pilgrim in front of a pig pen. He blinked his pixelated eyes, staring at the ground. Fierce Fox stormed over to him, ignoring me.

"My precious pig!" he cried. "My prize winning porker! Snatched by that sneaky spider!"

I jogged over to the stone well nearby his pig pen and peeped down into the darkness; chills went up my spine.

"We need to go down t-there..." I shivered, my hand gripping the rope, which led into the darkness. Fierce Fox jumped down the well flawlessly, which didn't make me feel any better. My fingers began to sweat up, loosening my grip on the rope.

"Hey know-it-all!" Fierce Fox called, voice echoing. "You coming?"

I bit my lip. _Come on, Alice... stop being such a coward..._

"Uh... jump down all the platforms and use the sea-saws to help you jump up and around to get to a place where you will find a glow stick." I instructed, my voice a little shaky.

I heard Fierce Fox snort.

"Hey, why do I have to do all the work for you?" she growled.

My whole body trembled.

"Just... I can't…" I stammered, pathetically. "I-It's not hard. You'll be able to do it." I tried to ignore the shame in my voice. "Besides... I'm not the hero here..."

_Why can't I be brave for once? It's just a few jumps.._

I couldn't see anything in the pitch black, except for the outline of a crate. Then, Fierce Fox appeared before me.

"I got the glow stick," she glared at me, waving said stick in my face. "Where next, know-it-all?"

I shivered.

"This way." I said, walking off to the main street. Fierce Fox immediately bolted, leaving me in the dust. My tortoise pace eventually caught up to her; she was tapping her foot impatiently.

I cleared my throat and pointed to a manhole. "We need to go down there-"

"'We'?" Fierce Fox grumbled. "You mean _me_ , don't you?"

I bowed my head, lacing my fingers. My heart hurt.

"I... don't know anymore..." I muttered, taking a step back. I couldn't stop shaking.

_I've got nothing to offer… I really am useless, even in this world…_

Fierce Fox glowered at me. I bowed my head.

Then, at the back of my head, I heard a soft, soothing voice:

_Your courage is hidden away somewhere, and when the time is right, you'll know when to let it out._

_Who are you…?_ I asked the voice.

But there was no response.

"So... are you coming or not?" Fierce Fox taunted, grabbing my attention. "Or are you staying up here like always?"

I walked to the edge of the manhole and peeped in. I kneeled down, putting my legs into the darkness, then slithered down, praying that I didn't die. My hands tightly clutched a rope, my feet mirroring at the bottom.

Very slowly, I slithered down the rope, landing on the dirty, wooden bridge. The room sent shivers down my spine, with cobwebs in the corner, containments of slime, and spiders hanging from the platforms. The front of the bridge had been snapped in half; its rope was trailing down to the bottom.

"You actually came down?" Fierce Fox asked, appearing behind me. I squeaked and whipped around, heart hammering in my chest. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow at my face.

Then it hit me: I conquered my fear. I did the thing I thought I could never do.

_I'm really here… I did it…_

I looked around, a smile almost creeping onto my face. My feet haltingly tip-toed across the weak wooden bridge, getting near the drop, which led to a platform with a goth girl. The fear started to seep back into me. I tried to remind myself that Poptropicans were much tougher than regular humans, and I'd be okay. Even if I did die, I'd be reset, right?

Fierce Fox jumped in front of me, landing on the wooden platform with a breeze. She faced the goth girl, who was murmuring about spiders. I stood on the edge of the drop, taking a deep breath, and shut my eyes. I pushed myself off.

I was in the air for a few milliseconds, before my feet made contact with the ground, as my knees bent. My lip trembled.

_Why did I come down here…_

The fear in me was yelling at me to stop; to run away and hide like I always did. But part of me wanted to keep going, too. This was Poptropica, _my dream come true_. Everything I'd ever wanted.

I tried to reach out for that mysterious voice again, but no response…

"Hey dreamy, what do we do next?" Fierce Fox asked, her voice piercing my thoughts.

"We- _you_ go down there," I answered, pointing into the darkness, my head pounding. "The 'Prized Porker' is at the bottom. Oh, and watch out for spiders."

Fierce Fox gave me a strange look, but started descending regardless. I watched her hop down from platform to platform, neatly dodging the spiders. I gulped, eyeing the multitude of spiders. My legs didn't move; they were frozen by fear. My courage was failing again.

Fierce Fox was at the bottom, standing on the moving platform. A scary, large, green spider was roaming around at the bottom. It had long, spindly legs that gave me the creeps. A pink, pixelated pig was in the corner, as still as a statue. I wasn't sure if it was alive or not. Maybe it was petrified. Fierce Fox landed on the ground; the spider sprinted towards her.

It hit Fierce Fox in the legs, pain expressing on her face. However, she immediately got back up and gracefully leaped over the spider, landing right next to the pig. She snatched it up, and somehow the living animal went into her inventory. Poptropica physics, I suppose.

My Poptropican neatly jumped from platform to platform, nearing the top. I breathed out in relief, knowing everything was going to plan. She was on the moving platform beneath mine, with her legs bent. She jumped up, when suddenly a little purple spider struck her on the chest. Her face split with pain and she began to fall.

"FIERCE FOX!" I screamed, slumping down so I was on my stomach. I grabbed Fierce Fox's arm with my hand. I focused all my strength into my arm, sweat pouring onto my face.

My eyes set on the goth girl, who just stared at me.

"Um... you do realize that you could be helping me?" I asked.

"I hope you're not afraid of spiders." she replied, as if there was nothing happening.

I groaned and tried to pull Fierce Fox up, but it was more difficult said than done. Then, the platform began to tremble, making me clutch my stomach. The wood was splitting open, and the slime was drooling down. I gritted my teeth and tried to pull harder, but the wobbling was loosening my grip.

"There's no getting out if this platform collapses!" I cried, the wood shoving into my stomach.

"Oh dear," the goth girl said. "I'll be off then."

I muttered curses under my breath as she ran out, leaving us helpless. Then, the whole platform cracked and shook, snapping beneath my stomach. I screamed as Fierce Fox and I plummeted to the ground, the bottom approaching. I shut my eyes, muttering a wish to myself.

_Please help us… please, I don't want to…_

Our falling suddenly subsided. My knees trembled.

"Open your eyes, Alice." a grouchy voice hit my ears. I was on the cold, hard floor, completely intact, standing on two legs. In fact, I didn't even feel one scratch, not one bruise, zilch.

Then I remembered: _I'm in Poptropica!_ _It's a lot harder to die here than in my world._

I took in a huge breath of relief. Well, then again, Poptropica was a far more dangerous place than my world. I mean, Mythology Island literally made you fight an actual god. And not just any god, the KING of gods. Virus Hunter and Astro Knights were pretty bad too.

"Great, we're screwed," Fierce Fox huffed. "Well done, Alice."

I almost would've said something back if the big green spider wasn't coming for us.

I whipped around, facing the thing that came right out of my nightmares. It raised its pincers, eyes bulging. Sweat poured down my cheeks. So I decided to use every human being's emergency resource.

"RUN!" I cried, pointing to a sign on my left. The sign was underneath a large, grey wall and led to a cavern. We ran through the cave-like part, me trailing behind Fierce Fox. We re-entered a large, pitch black area, which sent chills through my body. However, a little green light popped up and showed me the brown, cracked, dirt wall. The glowstick was equipped in Fierce Fox's hand, as she gave me a nod. There were vines on the top platform, hanging down almost low enough for me to touch. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, we're in a maze," I said. "We need to run through it; both finding the golden egg and escaping. A tip: follow the writing. And when you see the words 'Getting warmer' jump left and grab the egg, then keep going until you find the exit."

I was surprised at my own memory. Fierce Fox gave me another look.

"Seriously... how do you know all this?" she asked, cocking a brow. "Do you work for somebody?"

"No... I... don't work for anybody," I mumbled. "Come on, we need to get out of this maze."

I turned away. But a hand on my shoulder pulled me back.

"We're not going anywhere until I get answers." Fierce Fox growled, staring me straight in the eye. I shivered from her stare. I think I would've preferred to deal with the big spider again.

"Look... now isn't the time…" I said. "Come on, this way."

"When _will_ it be the time, then?" Fierce Fox asked.

That was a good question. A question I didn't want to answer.

I bolted off, taking advantage of my powerful legs. I passed a creepy engraved sign in the wall that said 'Darkness awaits'. Great.

Fierce Fox's footsteps were behind me; I was relieved she had followed. We ran up to the first rope, then the relief I had vanished. My body trembled and my head started pounding. Fierce Fox, like an athlete, jumped on the rope and slithered up like she did it everyday, carrying that glowstick at the same time. I heard her tapping her foot on the floor above, waiting for me.

"Are you coming, or staying down there?" she snapped. I tried to grab the rope; alas, my own perspiration made it too slippery.

"What the heck are you even doing?" I heard Fierce Fox grumble and slide down the rope again, upside down. She grabbed me with her hand and pulled me up the rope, letting my feet dangle down in the darkness.

I was placed onto the next platform with a grumpy Fierce Fox. My cheeks were burning red as she glowered at me. I pointed to the right, where writing was printed on the wall.

"This way," I instructed, jogging ahead. Fierce Fox quickly overtook me, leaving me in the dark, while she had the glow stick.

"RUN PAST THAT ROPE!" I called, my voice echoing through the maze. I eventually caught up to Fierce Fox. She was climbing up the rope at the dead end, like a stealthy spy. Then she saw me and groaned, slithering back down again.

Fierce Fox grabbed my arm without me being ready and pulled me up. I almost jumped out of my skin. We ran along the platform and came to yet another rope and dead end. Fierce Fox hastily grabbed my wrist and literally threw me to the left side, making me question her strength.

A glimmer of gold shimmered in the corner of my eye. I turned my head and saw the golden egg ahead, glowing in the darkness.

"There!" I cried. "The egg!"

Fierce Fox was on the other side of the platform, wiping dust off her sleeve. She caught my eye and saw the egg, a grin appearing on her face. Holding out the glow stick, she leaped over me and snatched up the egg. Then she made a face.

"Why do we need this egg anyway?" she questioned me. A glint appeared in my eyes.

"You'll see," I said. "Come on, we better keep moving."

After some more misadventures, we finally made it out of the maze. We arrived in (practically) the most modern part of the island, known as Poptropica Towers. True to its name, there were large, colourful towers around us. The ground was made of dark concrete and if you looked straight up, you would see rows of hanging washing. While jumping on them would be considered fun in Poptropice… it was definitely not something to try back at home.

"That's the last time I'm helping you with anything," Fierce Fox hissed, before looking around. "What do we do now?"

I took a deep breath.

"You need to jump on that building, then to the next one, then jump all the way to the top of the Rooftop Restaurant," I explained. "You're strong; I'm sure you'll be able to do it."

"Well, what about you?" she asked.

"Uh…" I sunk to my knees. "I'll, uh, find my own way up there. Wait for me."

Fierce Fox grunted, and took off. I wanted to punch myself in the face.

_How am I supposed to get up there?!_

_Why can't you just jump?_

_Stupid…_

I ran around the Rooftop Restaurant in a circle, my eyes scanning over a door on the back of the building.

_Huh… that's new… has that always been there…?_

I trotted towards it and placed my hand on the doorknob, opening the door. Inside, there was a little reception with red and white checkered tables, a wooden roof and floor, clean white walls, and waiters that looked like they came from the 80s. One of them, who had a large, sticking-up bun and a white, frilly apron came towards me.

"Can I help ya?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Is there any way to get to the top? Apart from climbing up."

The waitress looked thoughtful for a few moments, then her eyes flashed with an idea.

"Of course!" she chuckled. "This way, sugar plum."

She led me through the reception, to the back of the cafe, where there was a silver lift. It looked dusty, as if it hadn't been used for years.

_Wow, is there really a whole other world inside this game that us players didn't know about…?_

The waitress seemed to read my mind. "This here elevator hasn't been used for yonks. I guess most people climb these days. Feel free to use it, sugar."

And then I was alone again. I reached my arm over and placed a finger on the 'down' button. I heard an engine whirring and coming to life, and things being pulled. The rusty doors opened up, revealing a dusty elevator interior. I stepped inside, my childhood fear of elevators coming back. I pressed the 'TOP' button; the doors, with a loud creak, shut tightly. The elevator, rather slowly, started moving up. Too slow for my preference. Suddenly, the elevator stopped moving.

My heart pumped furiously. The elevator was shivering slightly, but apart from that, it was dead still. I breathed in, before running over to the electronic board with the buttons and pressing 'EMERGENCY', which was a bright red button. An overreaction, you say? I had no other choice…

The whole elevator flashed red, reassuring me that help was on its way. Then, I heard something snap. The elevator started plummeting down.

I screamed, as the world around me began to fade to black. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

_This is what I deserve... Mom, Dad, I'm sorry…_

Then, the top of the elevator exploded open, making smoke seep into the room. My lungs screamed, and I couldn't see a thing. Arms wrapped around my body, as if they were from a god, and I was pulled away.

Darkness.

* * *

"Jeez, wake up." a voice hissed.

Fierce Fox was there, on top of the Rooftop Restaurant. Her arms were crossed.

"What..." I spluttered, shakily getting to my feet. Fierce Fox glared at me.

"Alarm went off inside this here building," she hissed. "Voice told me to rescue you, end of story. You're lucky I actually bothered to save you."

She glowered, gazing around the restaurant. There were two tables that looked like they came from _Lady and the Tramp,_ and a not-at-all mysterious vine, simply hanging from the clouds.

"I-I'm very grateful you did," I told her, massaging my hands. I shook a lock of hair out of my face and stared at the vine. "Now we need to climb up that..."

"Speaking of climbing, why didn't you climb up the buildings like I did?" Fierce Fox asked. "It could've saved you from all that elevator drama."

Despite how goofy Poptropicans looked, her glare still sent chills down my spine.

"Now is not the time for that," I uttered. "Up the vine. Please."

 _I'm such a fucking idiot…_ I gritted my teeth. _I can't even face the truth… she should've left me there… I owe her so much…_

I split my face into a sweet beam. "I'll try climbing it myself this time." I said, gripping the vine, then groaning and as I tried to haul myself up.

Fierce Fox crossed her arms, looking away.

After extremely slowly (and quite embarrassingly) hauling myself up the vine, I eventually made it to the cloud land above. The land itself was like something from my imagination.

The floor was a soft, bouncy cloud and there was a fantasy castle in the distance. Also, there was a large purple giant, looming above us. I noticed the vine we climbed was hanging from mid-air, which would've made scientists spit out their breakfast.

"Physics much, Poptropica?" I muttered, getting to my feet. Fierce Fox was already storming across the cloud ground, like she was a storm cloud herself. She stood right next to the giant's large, disgusting toes and stared up at him.

He (I think) had patchy, green pants which reached his ankles, dotty, purple skin and a large, wooden, spiky club, which blocked our entrance. I walked right up to Fierce Fox.

"Give him the egg." I instructed. Fierce Fox scowled and brought out the egg, giving it to the giant. He said a rhyme, then his club lifted, giving us our pathway.

"Let's go," I spoke to Fierce Fox, as we proceeded right. We entered the Giant's Garden, which consisted of a large shovel, a bucket, and lots of veggies, which were covered with curly green vines.

"Jump over all that until you get to the end," I told Fierce Fox. "Oh, and pick up the bucket,"

Fierce Fox practically glided over the large shovel and vine bridge. She slid down the giant watermelon and picked up the bucket.

_She never fails to be a badass…_

I apprehensively climbed onto the metal part of the shovel, then up the wooden handle. Who knew where my climbing capabilities came from. I scooted across the long, green vine, which felt smooth beneath my feet. I jumped off at the end with a piercing scream, landing in the clouds, which felt like a trampoline. Like a tortoise, I climbed up the slippery pumpkin and tomato, grabbing on the nub of the orange fruit. I slid down all the other fruits, bumping my butt, and finally ending up on the other side.

Fierce Fox groaned. I blushed as we ascended to the Airplane Graveyard.

We ended up in a land full of whirring aircraft stuck in clouds, their engines blowing hot air everywhere. There weren't just planes; there were helicopters, a rocket ship, a drone, and even a UFO. I cleared my throat.

"There's a jetpack just over these planes," I said. "Go and get it, then you'll be able to fly."

Fierce Fox grumbled and used the whirring breeze from an upside-down plane propeller to get to the jetpack. I realised it hurt to smile.

I had never felt so _worthless…_ all I was doing was letting myself be saved by others, because I couldn't do anything myself... I was getting myself in trouble for doing what I thought was brave.

_This is the world I want to be in, yet I can barely survive here..._

My mother was wrong. I didn't have any courage. I couldn't bear to embarrass myself around her anymore.

I heard an engine turn on, and Fierce Fox, with a jetpack on her back, flew over to me. The jetpack puffed out hot smoke as she descended and landed in front of me. I took a deep breath and slumped on the floor.

"I got it," she said. "Where next?"

"Go back over the plant produce and under that vine, over the shovel handle," I told her. "You'll find a hole. Go through it and you'll land on the roof of the water tower. There will be a flag on it. Pick up that flag, then return to Early Poptropica. Give the guys their stuff back, then collect your prize from the boat."

I took a breather.

"What about you?" Fierce Fox asked, staring down at me.

"I'll be fine," I turned away. "Go without me. You've helped me more than enough today." I held back tears. "I don't deserve a medallion anyway."

"Um... I hate to break it to both of us, but my voice says that you have to come with me." Fierce Fox inquired, her face stern.

"But... your voice…" I trailed off. "It... I can't…" I shook my head at her gaze. "O-Okay. I'll come."

_I'm her voice... I'm here... There's no way… is this the game's doing?_

Fierce Fox scoffed and stormed off, flying into the sky like a bullet, smoke trailing behind her. I ran along the bouncy cloud, my feet getting stuck in the puff. Arms grabbed onto my shoulders, pulling me up into the air. My feet dangled down. Hot steam made my legs sweat and my lungs pant for something other than the smoke.

_I'm flying again… holy crap..._

"Where do we go again?" Fierce Fox asked, with a stern expression. I think she only smiled when things were working for her, making me regret making her 'Fierce'. Why didn't I name her something like 'Cuddly Fox'?

We flew over the vine and to the said hole, landing on top of the water tower, where I picked up a little, pixelated flag. It vanished from my hands and into my inventory with a little click.

"Now to Early Poptropica!" I declared.

Fierce Fox reluctantly grabbed my arms, letting me soar in the sky like a bird. We flew over Early Poptropica with a bird's eye view, before the red haired girl dropped me from about 30 feet above the ground. I squealed and landed on the hard floor with a crack, right in front of the pig pen. Boy, I was happy I was not in my world or I would be very dead, but I still felt a painful sensation in my stomach that alerted me I had just fallen.

Fierce Fox landed in front of me, professional as ever. She brushed off her jetpack and eyed the area.

"Thanks for dropping me," I started sarcastically. "You're lucky I'm not on Ea- uh... I mean, look, there's the pig guy!"

Fierce Fox made a face at me, then turned to the Early Poptropican, who was guarding his pig pen.

I breathed in. "Okay, Fierce Fox, give him the pig."

Somehow, she reached into her inventory and grabbed the live pig. It flew up from her hands and landed gracefully in the pig pen, where the little porker started jumping around. The Early Poptropican gasped in delight.

"Thank you for returning my pig!" he cried. "I'll never let it out of my sight again! Finally, bacon for all!"

And so we passed the bouncing pig. We came over to the man in front of the well. I gestured Fierce Fox over to the man. She got the bucket out of her inventory and handed it to the man. He placed it on the ground, where it stood next to the well.

"Thank you for returning our bucket!" he grinned. "We raise our water glasses to you!"

I reached into my own inventory and pulled out the flag, glancing at it in my hand. I waved a little bit, letting the pixelated material flow in the breeze.

"So, are you going to give it to them?" Fierce Fox asked, making me take a big breath. I handed her the flag.

"You're the hero, princess." I said, taking a step back.

Fierce Fox glanced at me for a second, then at the flag with a shrug. Using her jetpack, she flew up to the top of the grey-planked tower, where a guy was overlooking the sea. She handed him the flag, which he hung on top of a flag pole. A large old-fashioned ship docked.

Fierce Fox gracefully flew onto the wooden deck, where yet another pilgrim was waiting. He gave her the medallion; she jumped into the air with joy.

_It's all her victory…_

There was a flash. The world began turning white right before my eyes.

" _Alice!_ " a voice called, far away, " _Alice!_ "

Fierce Fox was staring at me, her expression… hard to read.

My eyes suddenly shot open, and I blinked about 30 times to adjust to the light. I was back in my bedroom.

_Early Poptropica... What happened?_

"Alice! It's time to get up!"

My mother opened my bedroom door, with a flustered look. She stared into my eyes, with a shy smile. "Good morning! How did you sleep?"

I patted down my hair with a twinkle in my eye. "I slept perfectly..."


	5. Shark Tooth

I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't get a bad feeling out of my system.

I walked around the school halls, books under my arm. No one was bothering me, at least. Well, for the meantime, anyway. My crutches clicked against the solid floor as I headed towards the exit. The day was over, thank goodness. I could finally go home. Strangely, I'd had a fairly peaceful day.

_Two peaceful days in a row… what kind of luck is that? Maybe this really is all a dream…_

Well, it _seemed_ all good... until Louisa got in my way.

My whole body went tense. We stared at each other, her blocking the exit. She stood there, casually, but I could detect a leer behind her glasses.

 _Oh no_ , tears built in my eyes. _She's going to torment me, isn't she…_

Then, to my surprise, she smiled.

"Hey, Alice," she greeted. "Sorry about all that drama the other day. I really overreacted."

… _what?_

"Are you okay?" Louisa chuckled. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"... you're not angry with me?" I asked.

"I forgive you," Louisa kept smiling. "I know you didn't mean it. It's just an old jacket, anyway."

_I… I…_

"Thanks for forgiving me…" I smiled.

"No problem," Louisa patted my shoulder. "I'll see you around, okay?"

She walked off, giving me another smile. I almost smiled back. Unfortunately, I saw Chrissi in the distance, who leered at me before walking off with Louisa. I pictured her smile again.

_Maybe we can be friends after all…_

* * *

That night, I booted up Poptropica again, the familiar blue screen greeting me. My lip curved upwards as I signed into Fierce Fox. I took her off Early Poptropica and flew her around on the old, paper map. I hovered over Shark Tooth for a few moments, wondering if Amelia would let me fly in her plane again. If I kept entering Poptropica, then I would have to use her plane over 50 times.

Amelia was nice, but I doubt she'd let me fly over the land 50 times. I didn't think Fierce Fox would let me come in her blimp, either. There was no way. She hated my guts, after all.

Shark Tooth… the second island ever released, Early Poptropica being the first. It made sense to play all the islands in chronological order, if I was going to be doing that. And of course, there was the situation of how I was actually entering Poptropica at all.

_There's gotta be another way…_

I dropped Fierce Fox onto Shark Tooth, when I suddenly got an idea. Fierce Fox left the island, and I flew her back to Home island. There is, after all, more than one way to skin a cat...

* * *

I entered Poptropica again that night, wearing my regular clothes. Home Island looked exactly the same: the barber, Amelia and her plane, the endless pool of blue beneath me. Near Amelia was Fierce Fox's mighty blimp, with a large, pale yellow striped balloon carrying a wooden basket. A rope hung down from the basket. Perfect.

Like a spy, I crept along the island, nearing the bridge. Once I was right behind it, facing Fierce Fox and Amelia, I ducked into the nearest bush. I tried to ignore the pointy branches and itchy, green leaves. Some of them scratched my cheeks, but I ignored them and watched Fierce Fox. I caught my breath.

"Um, hi," I walked over to her.

"You again?" she glowered at me. "What do you want?"

"There's someone that needs to talk to you on Shark Tooth Island," I told her.

"Is there?" Fierce Fox cocked a brow, cracking her knuckles. "Guess I'll head over there now."

I watched her, like an athlete, slither up the pole and neatly climb into her basket. I saw her grip the sides of the basket, which was my cue. I snuck out of the bush, trying not to cough any leaves out, and grabbed onto the knot at the bottom of the rope.

I grabbed on with all my strength and wrapped my legs around it, until I was completely secure. My foot was just brushing along the ground, as I felt fear trying to make me jump off. I ignored my sweating palms and clutched tighter, as I suddenly felt the world being lifted up. Up and away.

My feet dangled down and I tried not to scream, as we flew over Poptropica, the beautiful blue sea beneath me. If I wasn't so worried about falling off, I would've probably taken the chance to stare at the world around me. I mean, this was dream material.

_This is insanity… this can't be REAL…_

We started getting closer to Shark Tooth island. I could already see the tropical palm trees, and the soft, sandy beaches. The great blimp began descending, and I clutched on for dear life.

_Why did I do that… only in Poptropica, I guess…_

As soon as the blimp was only about a few feet above the ground, I knew it was time to jump off. My hands were shaking and my forehead was sweating.

"Come on Alice," I told myself sternly, "You can do this."

But after years of living on a planet where even a jump half a foot above the ground can harm you, I wasn't expecting to be safe. Instead, I closed my eyes, pretending I was elsewhere…

_Peace and tranquility…_

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor of the sandy beach. I sat up on my butt, staring at the tropical island. Shark Tooth island. I shivered.

Even on Poptropica, sharks were considered outright dangerous. I mean, the sharks could barely hurt you (compared to on Earth), but they were still _dangerous_. However, the surroundings didn't look quite so deadly.

There was a bamboo bridge at the start of the island, which the blimp was hovering above. I had landed directly in front of it. Don't ask how. There were lush palm trees, the Coconut Cafe, which was practically a giant cup of coconut milk, with a straw poking through one of the trio of holes. Next to it was a dark-skinned, shirtless man selling coconut milk.

Basically the rest of the island followed this similar beach, coconut and sand design, with buildings made out of bamboo or light wood. I admired it for a few moments.

"Alice?" a voice asked behind me. A little rough, suspicious and apprenshive all at once. I turned around and saw Fierce Fox right behind me, her brow raised. I gave a nervous wave.

"Hey... how's it going?" I asked shyly.

Fierce Fox's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Did you follow me here? And where's this person I need to talk to?"

"Um... well, firstly.. um..." My eyes flashed with an idea. "Here's the guy!"

I bolted over to the shirtless man selling coconut milk. Clutched under one of his arms was a little wooden ukulele. I stood next to his grass-roofed stand.

"Try my carbonated coconut milk!" he exclaimed. "It's on the house."

He then gave me a free glass bottle of the carbonated coconut milk, which mysteriously disappeared into my inventory. I had never heard of carbonated coconut milk, let alone coconut milk, but as much as I would've liked to discuss that, I had better things to do.

"Here," I said, touching my back, and feeling the bag appear again. I reached inside the dark unknown of the fabric and pulled out the glass bottle. The white liquid bubbled around inside, sending off a strong scent of coconuts.

I eyed Fierce Fox. "You can have it. You'll need it anyway." I handed her the bottle. She glanced at it for a second, as if checking it for poison.

"Um... thanks..." she answered, as the bottle disappeared into her inventory. "But seriously, why-"

"But there's more than that you'll need," I spoke, "We need to go to the Ancient Ruins-"

"Stop," Fierce Fox growled. "Just stop for a moment."

My throat went dry. "Uh…"

The Poptropican took a step towards me. "Firstly, you show up out of nowhere, and tag along to whatever we do-"

"Look, can we discuss this later?" I stammered. "The Ancient Ruins are this way! They're really important, I promise."

Fierce Fox almost had steam coming out of her ears, but stormed after me nonetheless. We passed the many other buildings: The Tourist Center, The Shark Museum, palm trees, then eventually we got off the sand.

The ground was now dirt and grass, and large, shark themed statues bursting from the ground. In the background was an old, ruined temple, the old stone walls collapsed all over the place. Ahead of Fierce Fox and I was probably the only standing temple, with straight, stone walls, and sharp, stone teeth hanging over the tunnel of darkness. It made my skin prickle.

"What next, know-it-all?" Fierce Fox spat. I didn't like the look in her eyes.

"Push that rock," I gestured to a cube-shaped stone rock, "Right up to the tree trunk."

I pointed at a large, thick tree trunk, which had the occasional oversized coconut fall from it. This was another moment I was glad I was in Poptropica.

Fierce Fox stormed ahead of me and laid her fists on the square rock, and started shoving it forward. Either the rock was as light as a feather or Poptropicans had super strength. Suddenly, a large, basketball-sized coconut flew down from the trees and bounced down on the ground, towards Fierce Fox.

"WATCH OUT!" I cried.

Luckily the coconut hopped right over her. When it came for me, I leaped out of the way so fiercely I tripped over.

Fierce Fox shoved the large, stone cube against the tree trunk and stared upwards, wary for any more coconuts. I was right behind her, digging my feet and palms into the rock.

"Who _are_ you?!" Fierce Fox demanded, spinning back to glare at me. "Why-"

She was interrupted by a falling coconut. She leaped out of the way of the coconut, though unfortunately it hit me.

… but it didn't hurt. It only knocked me back and made me cringe. I was back on my feet before you could say 'carbonated coconut milk'.

"Climb up to the top platform, but don't go past the arrow," I instructed, avoiding her question. "Leap over to your left and you'll land on the temple roof. Pick up the piece of paper there then jump back down." I flinched at her expression. "Trust me, this is important for the island, okay?"

Only then did I realize I was going to be letting her do all the work again. I wanted to punch myself in the face.

_Dammit, how long am I going to avoid that topic…_

Fierce Fox jumped onto the temple roof.

_This isn't Earth! Your legs aren't crap. You should be able to do these things, Alice! But no, Crashice has to stay behind again... just like always.._

"I got the paper thingy." Fierce Fox said, jumping down next to me, as we both stood in front of the spooky temple. I tried not to look into the utter darkness, although I knew we both had to go in there. Shivers went down my spine. When I had originally played with Fierce Fox, I found the temple fun, not scary. Seeing it for myself in real life changed everything.

"We need to go in there..." I gulped, the hairs on my arms standing up. Fierce Fox snorted, but entered the temple like it was the supermarket.

"Like you're gonna help," she muttered.

I (rather slowly and stupidly) entered the temple like it was death row. I mean, there were spider webs and glowing purple eyes in the corner, spying on me!

_Poptropicans really have no fear…_

Inside the temple had thick, grey, stone brick walls. Everywhere I looked I saw swinging stone platforms with art imprints all over them, spider webs, and dirty, slimy, green water with floating, moulding pieces of wood beneath us. Deadly purple vampire bats were waiting under platforms and walls, ready to strike.

This was so much worse than Home Island. And Early Poptropica. COMBINED. And Shark Tooth island was considered to be an EASY island. I didn't even want to think about the other islands.

"What now?" Fierce Fox questioned.

I laced my fingers together.

"Y-You... n-n-n-need to go to t-t-t-the other s-s-side," I blubbered, "W-watch out for b-b-bats, and y-y-you will need to do l-l-lots of j-j-jumping from platform to p-p-platform."

"Thanks for that totally clear answer." Fierce Fox grunted. "Let me guess, you're gonna wait here for me, aren't you?"

Then it clicked in my mind.

"Well, t-there's actually more than t-t-t-this.." I answered shakily, half-panting. "So… so..."

"You have to come? Oh, great," Fierce Fox clenched her fists. "More dragging you around, while you won't talk to me."

"Yeah..." I chuckled, laughing nervously. I gulped at the long long long drop, murky water awaiting

me. There was no way I could get down there…

_No way... come on, Alice..._

"Whatever," Fierce Fox growled. "Let's get this over with." She grabbed my arm with her fingers. Before I knew it, we were leaping through the air like falcons, then suddenly dropping like bullets. I screamed as my hair flew upwards, and the whole world blurred. Then, cold splashed all over my body, covering me. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like I was sinking. In fact, I wasn't even hurt.

"Poptropica, Alice," I chastised myself. "You're in Poptropica."

My swimming was actually pretty okay, surprisingly. I was never really a swimmer. Even though I could swim (Hydrotherapy helped my leg) I didn't really want to do it as a sport. However, it did give me the feeling of being free from my leg issues. I had wished that same freedom could carry into when I was on land..

"Uh, daydreamer?" Fierce Fox asked. She was standing on a stone platform, right in front of me. I blushed awkwardly and swam up to it, my legs slipping as I hopped up. I seemed to dry up instantly as I touched land. Another great thing about being in Poptropica. There were too many of those to count.

I looked upwards, at the other half of the room. There were endless platforms, some holding dark purple bats underneath. Speaking of bats, a bat above us, hanging on the wall, spread out its wings and flapped, circling Fierce Fox and I.

"Don't touch the bats." I warned, eyeing the bat, as it narrowly missed my head. Fierce Fox glared at the bat, then waited for it to complete another rotation.

"We're going to need to do a lot of jumping." she scowled, eyeing the rest of the room. Of course, platforms, another layer of mucky water and webs in the dark corners. It made me shiver.

Fierce Fox's hand grasped onto my arm, and she bent her legs. She jumped off the platform, zooming through the air. We landed on a rotting, wooden platform floating on the water. I tried not to start panting. Fierce Fox, her hand still fiercely holding onto my arm, leaped us into the air.

We jumped to the lower ledge on the wall, then up to the moving platform, which was just above us. The platform moved from side to side, as I peered down, seeing the whole world swerve.

We began to jump again, when the bat hit us. The purple beast gave me a sharp knock in the forehead, almost making me fall off the edge of the platform. Fierce Fox grasped me before such thing could happen, then lifted us off our feet and to the still platform above.

The bat stopped flying around and hid under the platform. A shadow waved over my head, which was none other than the swinging platform above me.

Fierce Fox and I leaped onto the moving platform, me trembling like a baby. It was like we were on a swing at a playground. A dangerous, bat-filled swing. I tried not to look down at the rather daunting doom beneath me. Fierce Fox's eyes were on the large block of wall on our left, with a keypad shaped like a face. It was another large jump.

I closed my eyes as we soared through the air, as time seemed to slow down. I felt so free I could just let go…

"ALICE!" Fierce Fox snapped, grabbing onto me tightly, as time resumed. The Poptropican heaved me up, dropping me on my side as I arrived on the platform. Again, I didn't feel any pain, but I was still bothered by the sensation. And my stupidity.

"Use that piece of paper you found on the roof," I instructed. "The password is 'Open'. The triangles are the teeth and the nose is the open button."

Fierce Fox gave me a short glare, before she got out the piece of paper. She turned to face the keypad. It was shaped like a face, with large circle eyes, with marble button pupils, sharp, triangular teeth as keys, surrounded by dark green lips.

Referring to the piece of paper, Fierce Fox typed in the code by pressing the 'teeth'. She then reached over and pressed the 'nose', which flashed bright green. The cream gate near us pulled open, revealing the next room.

Fierce Fox and I paced through the short passageway, until we reached the next room. There were thick, green vines sprouting from the walls, a huge, golden shark statue with a creepy green and orange spotted caterpillar crawling around it, webs in the corners, bats hanging from the ceilings and a pool of mucky water, with floating, rotten wooden platforms.

Fierce Fox was scowling at the shark statue. I was trying not to sweat at how far we had to jump. Straight beneath us was a collection of pointing, golden platforms, a long, swinging vine, and the murky water.

"Come on, deadweight." Fierce Fox huffed. She grasped onto my arm and again and bent her legs. I gulped. Her eyes were set on the vine.

She bounded off, like an Olympian athlete, grabbing the vine with one hand. She grabbed on tightly, her legs wrapped around the bottom, me dangling on the other side. My fingers were stinging with furious pain and were starting to go red.

_It hurts so much… I really can't escape pain after all…_

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, letting go, my fingers feeling numb again. I flew downwards right into one of the golden swirled platforms. A bat saw me coming and started circling the platform. Like a baseball, I zoomed right into it. It hit me; rather strongly for such a small creature, sending me flying across the room, smack-bang against the statue, my head hitting the gold.

I rubbed it, expecting to feel aching pain. I hesitantly climbed to my feet, as usual, feeling totally fine. The shark statue seemed to be on a little island, the fin of the statue right above my head.

Suddenly I heard the patters of the large caterpillar approaching me. I gulped, and felt the hairs of my arms stand straight up.

"You're killing me here," Fierce Fox growled, as she leaped off her vine. She splashed in the water, paddling it. Then she climbed onto one of the platforms, bending her knees. She bounced up and joined me on the tiny rim of the statue.

With a gentle push you could easily land in the mucky water. So naturally, the caterpillar, with its beady eyes and many legs pushed us off, and we both crash-landed in the water.

After getting past the shark statue, we headed to this cube shaped area. Two large, stone walls burst from the ground, covering up the spiky and treasure-filled room inside. The only way in was through the top.

We stood on one of the narrow walls. Directly beneath us were sharp, silver, spikes. A floating platform moved back across the empty roof area.

"Down there, will all these dinosaur bones, is a large bone, right in a dino skull," I told Fierce Fox. "When you get it, you need to go right and jump up all the platforms again."

Fierce Fox almost looked kind of happy. I'd be happy too if I didn't have to drag a useless idiot around.

The Poptropican leaped down, narrowly avoiding the spikes, then down into the darkness where I couldn't see her anymore. She came up a few moments later, then went around, past all the platforms before rejoining my side.

"Right, got it," she asked. "Where next?"

I pointed to the moving platform, as it floated to us. She muttered something under her breath and grabbed my arm, squeezing it so hard I thought it was a blood pressure test. We leaped above the ground, our feet gripping onto the platform.

Fierce Fox and I floated across, me trying not to look down. When the platform arrived at the other side, we (well, Fierce Fox) gracefully leaped over to the other wall. We headed on through the little passageway before we came to room 3 of the temple.

Luckily, the room wasn't as bad as the others. We were on a little, wide stone pillar and there was just a drop. The thick, stone walls were carved with drawings of Poptropicans, coconuts and sharks, plus another stone pillar with a golden jug full of green powder. A little opening was at the end of the room, letting in a pool of sunlight and dust particles, showing the lack of visitors in the temple.

"Just grab that jug," I instructed, pointing to the jug, "then hop through the roof. Simple."

"Could be simpler." Fierce Fox said through gritted teeth, glaring at me. I shrugged. She sighed and grabbed my arm, as we leaped down.

A little bit of shock from the drop made my heart pound, but I was fine apart from that. We bolted past the carved walls.

Fierce Fox and I arrived at the foot of the pillar. Fierce Fox leaped up, me dragging beneath her, picking up the jug on the pillar. Then, above her, was another vine. Strongly gripping it with one arm and her legs, she hauled herself on the vine. Her other arm wrapped around my waist, still squeezing me. She crawled up the vine, me hanging there like a sack of potatoes.

Then, we arrived straight under a passageway, leading directly into the town. We popped through a sinkhole of sand, straight bang in front of the trash barrel, which was full of coconuts.

I took a few moments to process the new environment: the palm trees and the soft, yellow sand.

"Right," I said, adjusting to the sunlight, "Come on, this way."

This time I was the one to drag her. Well… more like she followed right behind me. We bolted past the buildings, the Ancient Ruins again (getting a few chills up my spine) until we arrived at Booga Bay. We bumped straight into a tourist, who had a brown afro.

"Take a spiffy grass skirt," the man told us. "You'll look like a Native Islander!"

A grass skirt appeared in my hand. I handed it to Fierce Fox, who accepted it with surprise.

"Now this way," I said. "Oh, and you might wanna put that on."

Fierce Fox eyed me cautiously, but slipped the skirt on anyway. It looked rather ridiculous, standing against her bold, red hair. I tried not to laugh. Strange, since I hadn't laughed for a long time...

Anyway, Fierce Fox followed me back to Anicent Ruins, where we stood behind the thick, yellow, tree trunk. A coconut fell on top of us, sending us flying in different directions… yet we were perfectly fine. I still needed to get used to that..

Fierce Fox stormed over next to me, and we both stood in front of the tree, looking up at the many platforms. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, you'll meet a guy with a blue mask up there," I explained. "Give him the bone, green powder stuff and that coconut milk. He'll mix it in a potion and give it all to you in a coconut. Then, I want you to meet me at the wooden cannon on Booga Bay. You'll have to swim past some crates to get there."

"Why do you keep avoiding all my questions?" Fierce Fox hissed, getting in my face. "Just tell me who you are!"

"I've got to go," I answered, hurrying off in a puff of sand before she could punch me.

I arrived back in Booga Bay, which had the soft, yellow sand, and shark statues in the background. I passed the man selling grass skirts and approached a crying woman. In front of us was a pool of water, with bobbing crates, then a little island with a cannon.

_Okay…_

I passed the sobbing woman and dipped my foot in the water. It didn't feel cold..

I apprehensively climbed in, every bone in my body shivering. Soon, my waist was in, and I was bobbing like the crates. My arms seemed to automatically paddle the water, so there was no way I could drown. I swam past the floating crates, trying not to smash my arm into them. I felt excitement enter my body as I slowly paddled.

Was I really doing something on my own?

I gently paddled to the shore, flopping onto the sand. I easily got to my feet, then walked straight up to the cannon, and laid a hand on it. A coconut flew out the tube, flying about 10 feet in the air, then landing in the water. A huge, beady-eyed shark came out, and snapped up the coconut. I felt shivers down my spine all over again.

"Gosh..." I trembled.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, then whipped around. Fierce Fox was there, still wearing the skirt.

"You can't keep avoiding my questions forever," she growled.

"Fire that coconut," I answered, patting the cannon.

Fierce Fox's lips turned to a scowl. " _Answer my questions._ "

So I took the coconut myself and put it in the canon. I pulled a lever on the back, which sent the coconut zooming through the sky.

It landed in the water with a splash, and the great shark popped up and snatched up the coconut. The shark turned green, as if it was disgusted, then passed out in the water and disappeared.

I grinned, putting my hands on my hips. "Good job! Now, we need to swim across and rescue those guys on the other side. They'll follow you when they see you. Lead them back to that island," I gestured to the island behind us, where I heard the mother wailing, "then victory is yours."

"Will you answer at least _one_ of my questions if I do this?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Yes," I agreed, sweat-beading.

Fierce Fox nodded. She did a somersault in the air, then landing in the water. She sped across like a fish, then to the island with the trapped guys. While she did so, I eyed the shipwrecked ships in the background. I almost felt like I was in Jaws. I bit my lip.

Fierce Fox suddenly came back, an old man with a long beard and a young, dark-skinned boy following her. I waved at her, then all 4 of us swam across the pool beneath the middle island and the Mainland. Turns out, the other two weren't great swimmers.

 _At least I'm not alone_ , I thought.

We docked the Mainland, where the woman threw up her arms and cried tears of joy instead. She congratulated Fierce Fox, which made her grin from ear to ear.

"Well done, my friend!" said the guy with the beard. "Take this gold medallion!"

He handed Fierce Fox a shiny, gold medallion. I suddenly felt my skin become translucent, and my vision overcome with white. I saw Fierce Fox's gaze on me one last time before everything disappeared.

And then I realised that next time I came back... I was done for.


	6. Time Tangled

At school, I decided to do some research. I sat at the library computer, looking up some information. I was very curious about how I was actually entering Poptropica at all. Sure, it was a big anime trend, being reincarnated into a video game world. But I wasn't _dead_ ; I was just somehow getting transported there every night. How did that work? Magic? Voodoo? Something else entirely?

It'd been a few nights since the phenomenon started happening, so I knew it was no longer a dream. It was a reality. A reality that didn't feel _real_. My heart was still racing at the thought that I was _actually entering Poptropica_.

I couldn't tell anyone, not yet. I'd probably get taken by the government and turned into a science experiment. As much as I loved science, I did not want to be some kind of guinea pig.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed when the internet gave me no results, aside from a few articles about mental health and isekai anime. Sure, I wasn't exactly _surprised_ , but I'd at least been hoping for some kind of answers. All I knew was that I entered the game every night, and the only way to get out was to complete an island quest.

_Maybe Poptropica itself will give me the answer, somehow…_

I noticed there was a boy watching me as I browsed through my computer. However, when I looked over my shoulder, he was gone.

_Who was that…?_

* * *

Amelia parked her plane on the sandy beach at the front of Time Tangled island, just under Fierce Fox's blimp. I hopped out, my hair flowing in the light wind.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Amelia asked, gazing at me with concern. She reminded me of my mom.

I went cold. _My mom… I'm gonna have to tell her about this, aren't I?_

"No, I'll be fine," I stuttered. "Thank you and bye!"

I made my way onto the hard concrete. I passed the tall building known as 'Party Time Tower', which was made out of bricks and balloons.

A guy was standing out the front. He had dark skin, messy black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue jacket with a white collar and white sleeves, and a little emblem of a white squid in the upper corner. He also wore grey shorts with grey trainers and long, white socks. On his cheeks were two streaks, one green, one black. There was some facial hair around his chin.

 _The Flying Squid colours_ , I realised. I knew exactly which tribe this guy was from.

He was leaning on a pole vault of some kind, gazing off into the distance. He grinned as I walked past.

"Heya," he said. "You in Flying Squid?"

"Uh, no," I replied. (Seraphim for the win, of course.)

"You're missing out," he told me. "We're the best tribe, obviously."

"... I have to respectfully disagree," I replied. "Seraphim for the win."

"No way," he leaned forward. "Team Flying Squid all the way!"

As much as I wanted to continue to argue about tribes, I had places to be.

"I have to go," I turned away. "My friend is waiting for me."

"Flying Squid all the way!" he hollered. I rolled my eyes, walking away. I wondered if I'd see him again.

I kept on rushing ahead until I arrived in front of Pendulum's lab. It was shaped like a giant, metal clock, with two long hands and a little shed on the side. I spotted Fierce Fox roaming around in front, not doing anything in particular.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, running up right behind her. I stepped back when I saw the leer in her eyes.

"Oh," Fierce Fox grumbled, crossing her arms. "It's you."

"Yeah," I replied, grinning nervously. "Hi."

Fierce Fox continued to glare at me, until she was interrupted by a cry nearby us.

It belonged to a lady with frizzy brown, mad-scientist-esque hair and glasses. She was in tears.

"Help!" she sobbed. "Something terrible has happened and now the future is in peril!"

So we suitly went in the lab after her; me being first for once, Fierce Fox shortly behind me.

The lab was built completely out of metal, with metal platforms and forms of electricity in the walls. In front of Fierce Fox and I was a downward, metal slope, which I slid down, while Fierce Fox jumped. We arrived in front of the time machine, which was a cylinder-shaped thing with wires shaped like antenne at the top.

The woman was still crying. There was also a man on the right side of the machine, holding documents. He gasped when he saw me.

"You're… you're the one they spoke about in the future," he breathed.

"Huh?" I asked.

"They said you're a hero," he said, "and that you saved the world."

I raised my brow. "Me? S-Saved the world?"

"Please, Miss," the man put a hand on my shoulder. "The future is in peril. We need you and your friend to help us."

I looked into his eyes, and nodded. "Okay. W-We can help." I turned to Fierce Fox. "Um… go to the area beneath us and push the giant plug in."

She gave me a suspicious glance, but jumped down regardless.

My heart was racing. I was going to… save the world?

I almost felt the flash of electricity. The antenna was alight, and so was the door of the time machine. The interior was flashing blue, like a light. Fierce Fox appeared by my side; we both gazed at the time machine.

"Ready to go?" I asked, trying not to shake.

Fierce Fox nodded, expression dark. She went into the mass of blue first. She jumped in, her body disappearing into a flash of light.

I gulped, putting my foot in the blue, suddenly wondering if I was making the right choice. My figure leaped inside regardless, then my vision was overcome with white.

I reopened my eyes again, and thanks to nostalgia, expected to see my bedroom curtains and my mother thumping around outside.

However, instead, all around me was a murky green haze. In the background were dark green buildings with smoke pouring out. Thick tar floated in the air, making me cough. I was very thankful that the real world wasn't going to look like that dystopian place… at least I hoped...

Fierce Fox was wiping her eyes from all the tar. I could see a familiar figure in the distance, through all the dust. I approached Fierce Fox and we both stormed together ahead, the tar tickling our skin. The figure got closer, and closer still, until we both (well, _me_ ) recognised it.

"Who are you?" Fierce Fox asked, squinting at the figure. An old lady was standing next to a peeled sign with old words on it.

"She's you, but fifty years older." I explained to Fierce Fox, who stared at me as if I was crazy.

Old Fierce Fox blinked, then grinned at me.

"Alice!" she gasped. "I haven't seen you for ages!"

She waved her walking stick and gave me an embrace, her frail arms poking my back. She had young Fierce Fox's hairstyle, except it was a light grey and all bangs from her face were gone. She was wearing the same clothing as well, but her skin and face were covered with wrinkles. She also seemed way happier than young Fierce Fox, oddly enough.

 _Time really does heal all wounds_ , I thought.

Old Fierce Fox grinned at me. "It's so good to see you again! How are you?"

"Um… good..." I replied, lacing my fingers together. She frowned.

"Oh, right. I haven't found out… about you yet.." she muttered, shaking her head.

Young Fierce Fox had never looked so confused. She blinked a few times.

Old Fierce Fox sighed. "Well, Alice, I know you know what to do, correct?" I nodded. "Perfect. Well, you'll be needing this."

She handed me, not young Fierce Fox, the compass.

"Okay... so what exactly do we need to do, old me?" Young Fierce Fox asked, putting her hands on her hips with a scowl.

"Goodness," Old Fierce Fox sighed. "I guess I really was grumpier when I was young." She turned to me. "Alice will know what to do." She pulled me in for a whisper, "Just... be prepared Alice. I can't tell you everything, but you have to be strong, okay? You will make it through this. Have faith in yourself… and in me."

"Okay then..." I replied, awkwardly. She clapped my shoulder.

Old Fierce Fox then turned to her younger self. "And I have something to say to you too."

She wrapped her arm around her younger self. They were trapped in heated conversation for a few moments. When they were done, young Fierce Fox did not look any happier. She stomped back over to me.

"Off you go," Old Fierce Fox shooed us away, eyeing the compass. "Good luck. Poptropica is counting on you!"

I opened up the compass, young Fierce Fox peering over my shoulder. We were currently in the year 2066, 50 years ahead of the present year, 2016.

I pressed a white square with a picture of the man with a blue hood, with the writing '1953 AD' underneath. The world disappeared in a flash of light.

We reappeared on a snowy mountain. There were layers of slippery ice under our feet, and platforms of rocky mountain with soft, sludgy snow. Metal bridges led from platform to platform. I wondered how in the world I was not getting cold, regardless of the snow storm. Infact, the falling snow didn't even feel a tiny bit wet.

 _Poptropica!_ I scolded myself. _Come on, you should know this by now!_

"Where next, know-it-all?" Fierce Fox scowled, looking all around us. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but kept it to herself. Still, that didn't stop her from glaring at me.

"You… hate me, don't you?" I asked.

Fierce Fox scowled. "Maybe I wouldn't if you told me some more about yourself."

I looked away. "I…"

"Can't?" Fierce Fox grumbled. "Typical of you. But I'll put up with you for now. Until you eventually spill the damn beans."

I realised it was a threat. My whole body went cold, and not because of the snow.

"Uh…" I stammered. "Climb up all these bridges and get to the top, where there'll be a rope! Go up the rope then run over to the people in a tent and talk to the blue one! He'll tell you his goggles are gone! Then keep climbing up the mountain until you get to the top and pick up the Liberty!"

I braced against the rock wall, chest collapsing.

Fierce Fox continued to glare, and I continued to sweat bead, praying for mercy.

Old Fierce Fox's words floated in my head. _Be strong…_ could I really do that?

Fierce Fox and I ended up climbing up the ledges. There was a tense silence between us. Any mention of anything could break the ice (almost literally).

I had to rely on my own strength and tolerance to climb the mountain. I slipped and fell over so many times. Luckily I didn't get hurt, but my fight or flight instincts were on high alert. It took me about 15 minutes to get over one slope.

When I finally arrived at the top of the mountain, where the Liberty model was, I passed out on the snow. Fierce Fox was looking rather bored; she had been waiting ages for me. Luckily, old Fierce Fox had given me the compass. If she hadn't, I would've welcomed the mountain as my new home.

The sun shone a little on my face, the soft snow in between my fingers. Fierce Fox groaned when she saw me. I shrugged in a friendly way, looking up from the snow. I reached into my mysteriously-appearing inventory and pulled out my compass.

Staring at it through dazed eyes, I hovered my finger over a white key, which showed a man with flat, curvy hair and matching beard. The arrow spun around, landing on his face.

"1832 France, here we come..." I muttered, as white overcame my vision once more.

We arrived in a totally new, snow-free place. There were wooden buildings around us, all identified with French signs. There were large piles of wood and bits and pieces everywhere, creating quite a messy construction site.

Right behind Fierce Fox and I was a party-built, wooden model of Liberty. I stared at it, admiring every wooden detail, along with the wooden frame surrounding it. It was truly impressive, even in a computer game.

"Go right up to the top of the wooden frame and jump to your left," I told her. "You'll land on a platform. Jump to the one beneath it and grab the brown book. Oh, and… _please._.. give me the Liberty model."

Fierce Fox's eyes narrowed. She shoved the Liberty model into my arms, before jumping onto the wooden frame. I felt a tinge of pain stab my heart, but I shook it off.

_I'm delaying things… karma's gonna catch up with me._

The Liberty disappeared into my inventory and I began to head over to the place where such item was needed.

I entered a little white building with a tin roof and wooden walls called 'Gadget, Gauthier et Cie,'. The whole building was covered in a black shadow and was filled with artifacts of sculptures, all made of stone. I headed right to the end, where the guy I saw on the compass was there, standing next to a podium.

I gave him the Liberty model, where he placed it on the podium, crying for joy.

"Thank you for returning this model," he exclaimed. "You've saved the project!" He spoke English surprisingly well, although I guess that was more Poptropica magic at work.

The sun dramatically shone down on the model, making it look rather majestic. I smiled. I left the building and found Fierce Fox outside, arms crossed.

"One done, 10 to go!" I declared, getting out the compass. Fierce Fox just scoffed. I turned the arrow onto the man wearing a black pirate-like hat and a pigtail. The arrow spun around, and we were thrust into more light.

The next location was The Graff House. It was a cloudy night, with old, rotting fences by our sides and hedgehogs crawling on the ground. The Graff House was right ahead of us, taken straight from the 18th century. I suddenly felt the old Poptropican excitement whizz through me.

I was really doing something… exciting! I was there, in Poptropica! I could experience danger without the consequences!

And yet I was still so scared…

Fierce Fox was already at the wooden door of the Graff House. I rather slowly jumped over the hedgehogs, my feet inches away from their spines. I trotted right up to Fierce Fox, facing the Graff House. I could hear the faint murmurings of music and people inside. However, we were not going into the Graff House just yet.

"On the chimney," I explained, pointing at the roof, "There's a bag of salt. You need to-"

But she was already leaping up the window sills. I sighed. Most Poptropicans journeyed and explored on their own, with the assistance of the voice, of course. But that's just a voice in their head. Fierce Fox's voice wasn't in her head anymore. It was physically with her. However, she did not know this.

And her voice wasn't so sure if she would want to know.

Fierce Fox reappeared next to me, with her usual scowl. I was about to comment on how quick she was, but then I remembered that look in her fierce eyes when we were on the mountain.

My throat closed up. Instead, I reached into my bag and got out the golden compass, spinning to a picture of a dark-skinned woman with a pink turban. I pressed the knob, and the white consumed our vision once more.

This time, we were in a desert land, which was filled with rock-like brown buildings, floor covered in brown dirt, buildings with wooden poles poking out which were surrounding us. In the distance, I heard the cry of an eagle and the hiss of a snake. The sky was a beautiful sunrise, colour filling the sky.

The Mali Empire, 1387.

"This way," I instructed, pointing directly above me. There was a wooden pole, then a flourishing green tree poking out above it, all connected to the rock-like houses. "Climb up to the top and give the white turban guy the salt."

I watched Fierce Fox jumping like the eagles in the sky.

Meanwhile, I weakly (the mountain climbing was still bothering me) leaped up to the wooden pole, gripping it with my hands and hanging on the underside like a sloth. I dug my feet into the side of the building, bringing myself up the right way. I stood up on the pole, my feet trembling.

I reached over, similar to a rope and gripped the next building, pushing my legs off. I rolled onto the second building, like a total idiot.

Then, I made a leap of faith over to the tree, just gripping it with my fingers, my knees bent as I kneeled on the tree. I rolled myself onto the final platform, which was just above the tree, laying on my back. However, I squealed when I saw a vicious brown viper strike at my head. I slipped over to the edge, nearly falling off.

Fierce Fox's shadow appeared over my head, catching the viper's attention. I scrambled to my weak feet, shivering.

_I have to jump…_

_Come on Alice, you did the mountain, this should be easy!_

But I couldn't stop shaking. Fierce Fox was growling on the other side, showing no interest in helping me at all. I sighed.

"Fierce Fox!" I called out. "Jump up that brown building then over the large sausage statue. Go into the Timbuktu Inn and find the white-turban guy with a scroll in his hand. You want the foreign, English document. To get it from him, you'll need to complete a puzzle. Complete that, get the document and meet me in the place where we got here from."

Fierce Fox glanced at me, with a scowl, before jumping off.

_It's only a matter of time…_

I breathed out in relief and got out my compass. I opened it, pressing the picture of the man with no beard and brown hair. I disappeared in a flash.

The area around me went from sandy to soft. There was dirt under my feet, fences, trees, and a large pale wood mansion, the sky a brilliant blue. I passed by all of these.

I spotted a rather strange looking bike, made out of pale green metal with a large wheel at the back and small wheel at the front. I climbed into the leather seat, pressing a red button on the back. The bike lurched forward, smoke coming out the exhaust. It slowly moved along; probably the most pleasant thing I had been on that day. It parked under a tree.

I climbed onto the highest leather seat, staring up at the branch above me. I jumped up, grabbing it with my tired fingers. I pulled myself onto it, like I was riding a horse. My legs dug into the green leaves, as I stood up.

I leaped over to the house side, my hands now grabbing the window sill, which was more like a fence. My feet scraped along the window, my hands flicking off all the old paint. Using the pole of the 'window fence', I managed to pull myself onto the slope of the roof.

I apprehensively trotted across the sloped, triangle roof, using the red brick chimney for support. Then I slid upwards, before rolling sideways to the second chimney. I easily got to my feet, using the second chimney for support.

On top of the second chimney was the Sun Stone Piece. I gripped the chimney with my hands and legs, hauling myself up. When I was finally in reach, I pulled the piece down, landing on my back and the piece going into my inventory. I let out a breath of relief. Laying on my back on the sloped roof, I got out my compass and returned to The Mali Empire.

The sand, dust and cries of eagles hit me all over again. Fierce Fox arrived at exactly the same time, thankfully.

"Okay, now we need to go back to The Graff House," I spoke, getting out the compass once more. I pressed the man with the pigtail and again, got the white flash.

We reappeared in the original nighttime environment, the hedgehogs just ahead. I eyed the Graff House.

"You've got the Declaration Of Independance. Go inside and give it to the man with the black hat and pigtail." I instructed.

Without looking back, Fierce Fox headed inside the Graff House, leaving me alone once again. I sighed, feeling my skin prickle. Once Fierce Fox handed in that Declaration of Independence, that would be another skittle knocked down.

I couldn't stop thinking about Old Fierce Fox. Were we really going to be friends in the future? It didn't seem true now. Fierce Fox hated me. Maybe Old Fierce Fox just got excited over seeing someone she shared nostalgia with.

Young Fierce Fox returned, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. I got out the compass once again, flicked off the lid and pointed the knob at the man with a feather hat. Light consumed our vision.

This time we entered a much... prettier time period. There were beautiful alabaster pyramids and temples, decorated with colourful ancient art everywhere I looked. There were crops of corn and other plants with thick, green stems. The Aztec Empire, 1519.

I noticed all the civilians and residents were wearing colourful clothing, containing some form of feathers. I set my eye on the largest pyramid, which had a large colourful plate with a piece missing.

"Fierce Fox, go to the last pyramid with the old warrior on it," I said. "He'll give you his mask. Put on his mask then go to the largest pyramid and talk to the warrior with the grey goggles. He'll give you his goggles."

She scowled at me, before running and leaving me in the dust. Meanwhile, I bolted past the smaller pyramids and many crops, arriving at the foot of the large pyramid. A furious warrior, with his spear equipped, charged for me. I hopped out of his way, grabbing onto the side of the pyramid's stair rail and pulling myself on. I rolled myself over the thick, red rail and onto the stairs. Slowly, stretching my thin legs, I climbed up to the top.

The top was amazing. There was a trapezoid block by my side, with a circular stone picture of colourful, sun-like illustrations on top. A big piece was taken out of it, like a pizza slice.

"I have the sun stone piece!" I cried, to one of the rulers standing on the top. He had blue feathers on his head and various colours wrapped around his body. The sun stone piece flew out of my inventory and locked itself into the gap on the stone.

"Thank you!" he cried. "We will remember you forever!"

I was relieved… until I saw all the stairs. I grimaced.

* * *

Fierce Fox and I reunited at the bottom of the pyramid, Fierce Fox still wearing the mask. It… wasn't the most flattering look, but I didn't want to say anything because her wrath was far more unflattering.

I took us back to the snowy mountain. Of course, haunting, tiring memories crept into my head. This time, Fierce Fox herself leaped up to deliver the campers on the mountain their goggles, while I waited at the bottom of the mountain. I had done far too much jumping and climbing.

_Even here I still get tired… I really am useless._

Fierce Fox returned. She hadn't even broken a sweat, of course. I opened my compass and flicked the knob onto the man with a grey beard and brown hat.

After the usual flash of light, we found ourselves in a naturalistic place with grass on the floor, and a great waterfall nearby.

The waterfall was flowing from a cube of dirt, rock platforms poking out of the waterfall. A few large, mountain rocks were near the edge of the waterfall, along with a wooden sign saying 'Leo's Workshop'.

I gulped, realizing all the jumping we would have to do…

"Um," I spoke up, pointing at the waterfall, "Jump up there. There'll be some platforms and things you'll need to pull and stuff, but eventually you'll get to Leo's workshop. Go inside and find Leo and give him that notebook we found in France. He'll give you his glider wings. Put them on then go back outside. You'll see all those wooden platforms and under one of them will be this silver medal. Use the gilder to get that. Oh, and meet me back here."

The little courage in me wanted to do what Fierce Fox was doing, of course, but the lack of such courage was too much. Fierce Fox's body tensed up. She stepped towards me.

"Uh…" I stepped back.

An expression I didn't recognise passed over her face.

"A little longer," she muttered, before leaving.

_I'm so done for… oh god…_

I got out the compass and pressed the button with the man with brown and a brown hat. The white consumed my vision again.

The area around me was night time, like the Graff House. However, there was a spooky forest in the background, and a camp right around me. There were small, brown tents, and a burning campfire near my side. The man from the picture on the compass was right in front of me, though I had no interest in talking to him yet.

I headed on past the rest of the camp, along with a few other Poptropicans, before reaching a pale brown, slightly peeled tree. I leaped up slightly, grabbing the first branch with my hands and pulling myself on. Then, using both my legs and my hands, I jumped like a frog across to the second branch.

I repeated the same process for the third branch. Then I glanced at the hole of the top at the tree, seeing the furry face of a beaver popping out. On top of its head was a silver vase, with Chinese characters. I bent my knees, feeling the old human fear again. The beaver disappeared, then reappeared, where I jumped up like an idiot, banging my head on the tree, but grabbing the vase.

However, I slipped off the tree branch, plummeting backwards down, the world passing me in a horrid blur. I hit the ground, as usual not feeling any pain, but still the shock sensation. I reminded myself of the same mantra:

_It. Is. Poptropica!_

I sighed, getting onto my feet, standing at the foot of the tree. Now for Fierce Fox.

I got out the compass, going back to Leonardo Da Vinci's time. Me and Fierce Fox met at the foot of the waterfall once more.

"Let's go," I spoke, pointing the knob of the compass back on the man with brown hair and hat. We arrived back in the camp, where Fierce Fox handed them back their peace medal. Then we finally got to go to Ancient China.

Ancient China was incredible. There were little straw huts, containing white glue to build the great wall. Everywhere I looked there were stands holding bricks made of grey stone. The sky was a brilliant blue. I could've observed it for hours.

"Go get the gunpowder," I instructed, pointing to my far right, "Then go up left until you see a guy with armor. Give him this," I handed her the chinese jug, "Meet me back here."

Fierce Fox jumped off. Meanwhile, I leaped up (well, hauled) myself onto the wooden frame. Like a giant step, I got onto the next one, now right up against the wall. I frog-jumped across a few more, before getting onto the actual wall.

A man was standing on it, his feet sticking into the stone and his back bent. I trotted across and joined him, feeling the cool bricks under my feet.

"Like the amulet I'm wearing?" he asked. "You can win it if you beat me in a simple memory game."

"Sure thing," I responded.

"Hmm…" the man observed me, getting out his things. "Y'know, you seem kinda upset about something. What's wrong?"

I looked away. "Oh, uh, it's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, you're holding something in," the guy said. "It's okay to talk."

My heart ached. I paused.

I sighed, looking away. "... I need to tell a hard secret to my friend, but I don't know how."

"I see." The guy got out a bunch of white tiles, all with different patterns. "Pay attention to this one." He pointed to one with three sticks, two black, one red. With his swift fingers, the man swapped them around, my eye staying on the original one.

"If you really truly want to reveal a hard secret, then you must make peace with whoever you're telling the secret to," he told me. "You must find what side is black and what side is white. Then you must piece them together."

I placed my hand on one of them, which was the wrong one, but it was yin yang, swirling in peace.

"Just like that," he said. "Work together. You are yin and yang. Once you're united, you'll have no problem spilling your secrets."

"Um… thanks..." I said, although the advice didn't seem that useful.

The man suddenly pushed the piece forward.

"You may keep it," he said, "and since you are interested," he took off his amulet, placing it in my hand, "you may have this as well."

"Thank you." I replied, both items going into my inventory. "Um, but why be so generous...?"

He just winked at me. "Some people deserve it."

A small smile appeared on my face.

I got to my feet, feeling more unusual than ever. I shook my head, telling myself to relax. Bending my knees, I (slowly as always) climbed down from the spot on the wall, avoiding the falling bricks. I arrived back in the original spot, where an impatient Fierce Fox was waiting. I bit my lip.

_You must find what side is black and what side is white. Then you must piece them together. Work together._

The voice occurred in my head.

_Be strong…_

"Fierce Fox," I began, the compass in one hand, almost inspired. "I… we... need to go to the vikings."

She bared her teeth. "Then let's get on with it."

Her fists were clenched. I didn't like the look on her face.

I flicked the lid off the compass, turning the knob onto an old man with a long, grey beard.

There was a flash of thunder and splash of rain. I opened my eyes, the wooden floor beneath me shivering with the storm. We were on a viking ship.

Everywhere I stared there was rain, thick forests and vikings. Fierce Fox and I climbed out of the viking ship, our feet landing on the soaking grass.

I bolted right up to the nearest viking, who was the viking on the compass, with his long, braided beard. I grabbed the amulet out of my inventory, which was shaped like a silver hammer.

"Thank you!" the viking cried, taking the amulet. "The powers of Thor are with us again!"

I grinned at his statement, before turning to Fierce Fox.

"Did you get the gunpowder?" I asked. She gave me a brisk nod. "Okay, this way,"

I trotted forward, passing the viking, and coming to a collection of rocks, which formed a mountain. There were large, flat rocks piled on the round rocks, creating platforms. A cave was at the top, blocked by a pile of rocks.

My skin tingled at the sight of all the jumping. I looked pleadingly at Fierce Fox, but she just scowled at me. There was no way she was going to help me again.

"Use your gunpowder at the top." I instructed, pointing. Fierce Fox, being her usual athlete self, leaped up the platforms. I sighed, using the frog-jumping technique, along with some rock climbing. It was annoying, but better than doing nothing.

I arrived at the front of the cave, peering at the grey boulders. Fierce Fox placed the gunpowder at the front of the pile of rocks, before igniting it. My cowardly instinct made me cover my face. However, even with such an explosion, I didn't get hurt. Even when the rocks literally flew right at me.

"I will never understand Poptropican physics," I muttered, shaking my head. I eyed the cold darkness of the depth of the cave, the faint dripping of water bleaching my ears. I raised my voice.

"Anyway, now we need to get through this maze," I said. "There'll be a lot of jumping and don't fall in the water and you'll need to be fast. Once you get to the end, you'll need to get the golden vase. Then leave."

Fierce Fox equipped one of the torches at the front of the cave. I picked one up too, trying not to let my fear of the dark get to my head.

"Why are you coming in?" Fierce Fox asked, as we stood under the entrance of the cave, water dripping nearby. Her tone caught me off guard.

"We need to work together," I answered.

 _You must find what side is black and what side is white. Work together._ The words stabbed me like spears.

Fierce Fox snorted.

"Then why didn't you help me before?" she hissed. "That hang glider was hard to use."

"I..." I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know _what_ to answer. I just bit my lip, standing there like an idiot.

"I'm just… I'm trying…" I stammered. "I don't know. I'm trying to figure this all out, but… I'm so confused about everything."

"Then try harder," Fierce Fox growled.

My throat choked up. My eyes burned.

"The cave." I stormed inside the darkness, treating it more like a welcome rather than a fear.

Fierce Fox muttered something under her breath, but followed me in anyway.

The cave was wet and pitch black, the torch only supplying so much light. There were stretched webs on the dark blue cave background, rock platforms under our feet and stalagmites in the corners. I gulped, fear flooding me all over again. I stared down at the pitch black darkness, knowing that was where we'd have to jump. I would've preferred to climb the mountain again than do that.

Fierce Fox leaped down, her feet splashing in the puddle below. I gulped, sitting on the edge, my legs hanging down. I slipped, pushing my butt further to the edge, my face covered with sweat. Then I flew off, my hair rushing in the cool drop. The mountain memories didn't seem so harsh anymore.

I landed on the bottom, taking a few moments to recover. Then I realized that my torch was out, and all around me was more darkness. My legs and arms were trembling, and cold water was dampening my skin. I was alone in the dark. The dangerous, freezing, dark.

I forced myself to my feet, my eyes furiously trying to adjust to the darkness, as I took huge steps forwards. Darkness everywhere. I'd hated darkness since I was young. I would've taken anywhere else. Well, except for maybe school.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried. "Please wait!" The strain in my voice and the realization that I could be with someone else gave me the energy I needed.

I skipped across the wet floor, praying I wouldn't bump into anything. I perked up my ears, trying to hear Fierce Fox storming across the floor. But I couldn't.

Then I got even more afraid. What if she already got the vase and left? What if she locked me in here? What if I could never get out?

I was so focused on my own thoughts that I didn't notice a gap in the path. I slipped and fell from it, my throat almost bursting from a scream. I grabbed onto the side of the path, hanging down.

"HELP!" I cried, out of desperation. "FIERCE FOX! SOMEBODY!"

No one answered my calls, and my hand was getting limp. Then I heard footsteps.

"Oh, you're stuck again." Fierce Fox grumbled, her figure just visible in the dark. She was staring at me, but then her eyes directed elsewhere, assumingly the exit. My fingers were getting weaker.

"Help..." I breathed. Fierce Fox's eyes darted back and forth from the exit and I. I let my limbs loosen, knowing that she wouldn't help me again. She hadn't helped me on the mountain. She hadn't helped me up anywhere. She had run out of sympathy. But I hadn't.

And I knew what she wanted.

"Do you really want to know who I am?" I asked, my sore hands making the words come out of my mouth. Fierce Fox kept her eyes on me. They didn't seem to want to move back to the exit.

"You're gonna spill the beans?" she asked.

"Yes!" I breathed out. "Everything!"

She glared at me. "Promise me you will."

I felt another stab of pain.

"Yes! I promise!" I cried, more desperately than ever.

"No running away?" she asked.

"I PROMISE!" I cried.

Fierce Fox breathed out slowly, but leaped over to my side, her feet in front of my hands. She grabbed my hands and hauled me up, saving me for the million other time. Talk about being dead weight.

Old Fierce Fox's words hit me again: _just... be prepared, Alice. I can't tell you everything, but you have to be strong, okay? You will make it through this._

"So... explain yourself." Fierce Fox snarled, glaring me down. I trembled.

"Let's get out of this cave first." I replied.

Fierce Fox actually helped me get out of the cave, which I was extremely thankful for. There was no way I could get out of that dark cave without help.

While we were climbing out, I told her how to complete the rest of the island, though my brain was still lingering on Old Fierce Fox's words. I sighed, giving up on attempting to clear my mind. At least Fierce Fox would know how to complete the rest of the island… in case things went wrong.

We arrived into the light of the cave's exit, rain pouring all around us. Thankfully for Poptropican physics, it didn't get us wet.

"Explain." Fierce Fox spoke, her hands on her hips and glaring at me. "Now."

"Um..." I began, gulping. Voices were flying around in my head. How was I supposed to begin?

Then I finally found an answer. "Well… you know… how… you have a voice?"

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

I gulped. "Well... the best way to put this is… that I'm… I'm your voice."

"Excuse me?" Fierce Fox asked.

"I'm your voice," I repeated.

Fierce Fox's pupils shrunk. "What do you mean? You can't be my voice. You're standing right here!" She glowered. "Dammit, she said you were going to reveal something crazy, but…!"

I bowed my head. "Well… all voices... we're an entire species of our own. We live in a totally different world, called Earth. On Earth... Poptropica is a..." I paused, not sure how she would take this next line. "A computer game."

"A what…?" Fierce Fox made a face.

"Yes," I said. "It's true! Poptropica is a computer game. And I'm not just your voice, Fierce Fox. I'm… your creator. I designed you."

"My 'creator'?!" Fierce Fox asked, eyes going wide. "Then everything Dad said, all that old me said… this can't be true!"

"It's true!" I replied. "And every night I've been coming here from my world. You know that voice that tells you to run around? That's me! You know how I always know what to do? Because this whole world is virtual! Nothing changes here. I always know what to do because I've played these islands before! To us, these islands are nothing but video games!"

"That can't be true!" Fierce Fox yelled. "Poptropica isn't a computer game and you _aren't_ my creator!"

The look in her eyes… something clicked in my head.

"You're in denial…" I muttered. "... You already knew all this, didn't you? Old Fierce Fox told you. That's the real reason why you've been putting up with me."

"I am not in denial," Fierce Fox growled. "Shut up. You're a liar. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then... explain how everything I say is going to happen happens." I replied.

Fierce Fox trembled. My heart skipped a beat.

"You know what?" she walked towards me, nearing the edge. "I'm done with you. First of all, you show up out of nowhere, then constantly need my help, while you already know what to do, then you just disappear at the end! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I'M FINISHED WITH YOU AND YOUR STUPID LIES! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

I stumbled backwards, nearing the edge of the rock. I wanted to say something. I wanted to speak. But I didn't know how.

Fierce Fox stepped closer to me, before we were nose to nose.

"Get out of my sight, or I'll push you off this rock," she growled. "And I never want to see you again. Go back to wherever you came from and don't come back." She was speaking no louder than a whisper, but chills were still racing down my spine.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I couldn't even cry. I was empty, yet everything hurt.

"Fine. Fine. Fine." I muttered, repeating the word over and over again. I ripped open my inventory and got out the compass. "Fine. Complete the island without me. Fine. Fine. Fine."

Ipressed the 'lab' button on the compass, before chucking at Fierce Fox.

White overcame my vision, just as I saw her glare one last time.

I dragged myself out of the time machine, barely having enough in me to breath. I just felt dead. I was too dead to cry. I was too dead to be angry. I was too dead to do anything. All I could do was feel useless. No one wanted me anymore. Not even my own Poptropican.

That didn't surprise me. The entire school was against me. Why not everyone in Poptropica, too? I grumbled, storming out into the present Time Tangled.

Mental fortitude? Strong hearts? Courage? Usefulness? I had none. I had no one. I had nothing. I was nothing. I closed my eyes, waiting to leave forever.


	7. 24 Carrot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I posted a bit of fanart for this chapter, it's on my deviantart iHateFridays, tumblr ihf-arts, twitter FridaysHate, Insta ihatefridaysihf. Feel free to check it out.

I tried everything I could to stop entering Poptropica. I knew in my heart that I was losing my chance to be free from all the pain in the real world… but I didn't want to go to Poptropica if my own Poptropican hated me.

But despite my best efforts, I couldn't get away from the game.

I reappeared on Home Island that evening, but it felt different. Instead of a welcome, it felt more like a reminder of Fierce Fox yelling at me, hating me. I tried to shake the thought off, but it wouldn't go away.

I sighed, giving up, and slumped down next to the Barber.

What was I going to do?

Fierce Fox would never accept me... but how was I supposed to leave if I didn't complete the next island? That was the only way that seemed to get me home again…

_Maybe I could send her a letter... no, that wouldn't work. Or maybe I could get someone else to play with her? No, that would be too suspicious…_

_Do I even want to leave, anyway? This is Poptropica. It's been more of a home to me than the real world ever has…_

To distract my numb mind, I grouchily pulled myself to my feet, walking through the island. I barely even looked where I was going.

I almost slammed right into Fierce Fox, who was casually roaming on the bridge. I slipped into a bush, almost like a spy, watching my Poptropican. She seemed pretty nonchalant, but my heart was still racing.

_**And I never want to see you again. Go back to wherever you came from and don't come back.** _

I gripped the leaves of the bush.

_Come on, get over yourself, Alice._

Of course, living in Poptropica permanently didn't seem like that bad of an idea to me. But then I thought about my mom. She'd miss me terribly. It wouldn't be fair on her.

And besides, Poptropica was all about the islands. I wanted to play them for _real_. I wanted to get that thrill… or, at least, stop being such a scaredy cat. I didn't want to just hide there.

_What do I do…_

I thought of Old Fierce Fox's words. She had told me to be brave… and she seemed to like me. Did that mean young Fierce Fox could like me too?

I doubted it.

I felt a glare piercing my soul. I realised… Fierce Fox had spotted me. I gasped, shrivelling back. My chest heaved.

"You…" Fierce Fox uttered. "I told you not to come back here."

My arms shook. She stalked over to me, towering above me.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I… I'm sorry," my eyes filled with tears, "I tried to stop coming here, I did, but I couldn't help it. I'm so sorry, I'm… I'm so useless. I can't do anything. I'm sorry."

Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. My whole body shook. Fierce Fox kept staring at me.

_I really am pathetic…_

"Old me…" Fierce Fox gritted her teeth. "She wasn't happy with me back on Time Tangled. Yelled at me for an hour."

"Huh…?" I looked up.

"She said she knew what I was gonna do, but still lost her crap with me anyway," her body shook. "She told me… she told me that you're dealing with a lot of issues in… your world."

I simply stared at her. We sat in silence.

"She told me to give you another chance," she finally spoke. "Honestly… I don't wanna. But she said I need you… and you need me. And somehow, we're gonna save the world. Together."

I gasped. Was she really giving me another chance?

"I… I don't deserve it," I turned away. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Stop apologising, Alice!" Fierce Fox pointed her staff at me. "You're here for a reason. You love this place, right? Then prove it to me. Show me what this place means to you."

The electricity fuzzed in front of my face. Her eyes glowed with passion.

"And then I might just respect you." she said, holding out a hand.

_She's… giving me a chance… she's really giving me a chance… is this real?_

No. No more doubting. I had to give her a chance too.

"... Okay," I grabbed her hand. "Let's do it."

* * *

A little bit of travelling over the Poptropican sea later, we (with some help of the map) arrived on 24 Carrot Island. Everywhere around us on the island was filthy, broken down and ruined. People were sobbing, moping and weeping over their ruined carrots. The sky was covered in a brown tar, polluted and deadly. The mayor was bawling underneath the dead sign.

For some reason, I swear I saw a poster with my name on it… or was I seeing things?

Fierce Fox was staring at me. I coughed, awkwardly.

 _Focus_.

"Okay," I spoke up. "So. We need to speak to the mayor."

"Our town is ruined!" the mayor sobbed as we walked over to him. "All the carrots are gone!"

Fierce Fox and I gave each other a glance. I briefly turned my head towards the 'Carrot Farm' sign.

"This way," I told her.

The two of us trotted side by side to the carrot farm, squishing the disgusting mulch beneath us.

"So, these islands, Poptropica itself," Fierce Fox spoke up. "It's all a video game to you?"

"Yep…" I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Then how do you get in here?" Fierce Fox asked.

"I honestly don't have a clue," I shrugged. "I've thought about it, but I really don't know… I'm hoping Poptropica itself has some answers."

There was a farmer in front of us, under an ancient sign for 'Funny Bunny Farms'. To his left was an old, white-brick house, with smashed windows, and a bolted up door. I was… not looking forward to going inside.

"We've got to get in via the chimney," I said, jabbing a finger at the dirty, red brick chimney.

Fierce Fox bent her knees. "You gonna try jumping?"

"I…" I breathed out. "I _suppose_ I can try…"

I replicated her movements, bending my knees. I took off into the air. My heart raced. Fierce Fox grabbed my arm, helping me onto the roof. I took a few seconds to breathe.

_I did it… I jumped!_

"Good work," Fierce Fox said, off the cuff.

A small smile appeared on my face.

Shutting my eyes, I leaped into the chimney like Santa Claus, dropping down into the ancient house. Chills shivered up my spine, and my teeth threatened to chatter, but I shook my head, exhaling deeply. I examined the house, which had olive green wallpaper peeling off the walls, scratched furniture, a table with an overgrown plant, a sign that said 'I love carrots', and a little silver bowl.

The floor creaked as I took a step

"Creepy." Fierce Fox commented behind me, suddenly appearing.

"We need this bowl," I grabbed the bowl on the ground. "Hear that?"

A meow echoed from up stairs.

"We need some milk to get the cat to come down here," I said. "And to get that we go to a diner."

The two of us returned to the old town. I eyed the Carrot Dinner, its broken lights dimming, with an eyebrow raised. We entered inside, picking up on the stuffy chairs and marvelously grimy floor. Only a few of the lights worked, which shined down on the rotten food. A waitress who looked like she was from the 80s roamed around, carrying a jug of milk.

"Excuse me," I approached her, holding out the bowl. "Could you please fill this bowl with milk?"

"Sure thing!" she exclaimed, doing just that.

Once we got outside, I handed Fierce Fox the milk.

"Use this to get the cat to follow you," I told her.

And thus, before long, my Poptropican returned, the cat in question behind her. I directed her to Charlie's Carrot Supplies.

Fierce Fox disappeared inside the shop, the kitty following her. I suddenly realised how hard my heart was pounding. All I'd been doing was jumping and yet my stress levels were off the charts.

"She gave me this," Fierce Fox came out of the store, holding out a crowbar.

"Good," I nodded. "We'll need that to get into the old Carrot Cake factory."

The Carrot Cake factory was old alright. Creepy, too. There were large pipes holding deadly green liquids, peeling signs, smashed windows, creaky, bolted up doorways and a sewage underneath the whole thing. Worst of all, the stench was _terrible_.

Fierce Fox and I scaled over the spooky factory, as we couldn't go under it (like we would want to anyway). It took every ounce of my strength and courage... well, mental strength to hop over that factory.

The crumbling bricks almost made me want to turn and run away.

_Come on, do it for Fierce Fox, do it for myself…_

We found a metal pipe which was connected to the factory, a few footsteps above the sewage. It was blocked by a broad sheet of metal.

I shoved the sharp end of the crowbar in the gap between the metal furiously dragged. It strained my arms, and sweat poured down my cheeks, from both pressure and fear. But the lid popped off, and we were free to enter.

The inside was disgusting. The pipes were dark and stinky, filled with growing mould and creaking metal platforms. Sewage water dripped from the pipes, and everywhere around me I could hear faint echoes of machinery above.

I cringed as I stepped forward. Fierce Fox had a quicker pace, so I forced mine to replicate hers, as we climbed up to the moving platforms. I stupidly missed one of them, so I slipped and fell into the gap between. The platform was right behind my head, ready to come up any second and it smash it. Don't forget to mention that my fingers were frailing. Fierce Fox flipped around to assist me. I bit my lip.

"I…" I whimpered.

Fierce Fox sighed, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. I gave her a nervous grin.

"Keep practicing," she told me.

And then we had to deal with the rats. Great. The brown creatures waddled across the mucky floor, mouldy teeth poking out.

And so began the process of painstakingly avoiding the rats and climbing through the pipes. Apparently, Fierce Fox decided that was the perfect time for a chat.

"So," she said. "Something happened to your legs in your world, right?"

"Um…" I avoided a rat nibbling my toes. "Yeah… I was in a car accident with my dad when I was ten. The accident permanently damaged my legs and I have to use crutches."

Fierce Fox paused for a moment. I couldn't see her expression, but I noticed her shoulders tensed up.

"Oh," she got out. "Sorry… sorry to hear that."

My expression darkened. "Let's just… focus on the island."

We managed to get out of the disgusting sewer, into a new room. Right next to me was a green cube with three levers. I switched the middle the full way down; the left one half and the right one half. An engine came to life, lighting up the room with a facefull of dust.

A red, metal wheel began to turn, pulling a magnet through the air, sprinkling embers down onto the floor. I noticed the piles and piles of wooden crates, all covered in the ancient dust and a robot rabbit symbol, aka a rabbot.

Using the boxes, we climbed towards the magnet, Fierce Fox doing most of the work to be honest. I climbed onto the magnet, floating across the sky, watching the flying embers. I got to the red and blue platform on the other side, which showed the entrance to the vents. I peered inside the darkness and dust. I gulped.

Of course, those vents certainly weren't the last time we'd ever see vents on Poptropica, but that didn't mean I was psyched about them.

"Now into here," I said, entering the vent. A mysterious light seemed to flash in my eyes when I entered the vents. The metal felt cool against my skin, the fans blowing air sending a shiver up my spine. I hopped down, the fans air slowing my pace, as I climbed through the vents. A visual map of the vents popped up in my head, directing me where to go.

Fierce Fox was right behind me. I pulled her over to join my side, leaping over the blowing fan. It looked like she was speaking for a moment, but the fan made it hard to hear anything. Then I bolted with her just in time, furiously brushing past the fans and graffiti on the walls. We made our way through a section of ice, our hair flowing.

After picking up a pair of wire cutters and exiting the vents, we finally arrived in a room stocked full of boxes.

We stood on a platform towering above the boxes. Fierce Fox gave me a brief nod.

"There's something down there..." I uttered.

We both leaped down, our feet making contact with the boxes. A floating rabbot head approached us, its eyes flashing red. It teleported us away.

A flash of light took us to a freezer. Everything in the room was covered in a layer of ice and frost, a single light beaming down at us. I eyed the security system.

I leaped up to the little silver plate. I ripped it open, observing the mix of wires. Clutching my wire cutters, I cut them all up, their electricity flashing in my eyes.

"You really know everything," Fierce Fox uttered. "How many times have you... played these islands?"

"I've lost count," I laughed. Her expression was hard to describe.

Fierce Fox and I explored the vents again, headed to the Printer Room. The Printer Room was full of machinery, metal pipes and whirring engines. Our first obstacle was three vertical pipes shooting out rabbot crates. Each one increased in length. With a lot of trial and error, plus getting whacked in the back many times, we made it past those things. My heart was not handling the pressure well.

We headed down to the layer below, which had a metal floor, a huge, cube-shaped system printer and boxes full of carrots and documents. A girl was standing in front of the ocean-coloured printer, her eyes swirly and green, with a pair of metal rabbot ears on her head.

"Hey!" I cried. "What's that behind you?"

"Where?" she asked, flipping around. I reached over a quick finger and slammed an off button on her hat. She gasped, the green swirls vanishing.

"Thank you for freeing me!" she said. "There's something you should see." She headed to a keyboard connected to the printer, typing away. A white piece of paper printed out, with the words 'fuzzybunny'. I gave it to Fierce Fox, who gazed over it.

Meanwhile, I faced the girl, who was gazing off into the distance. "Excuse me.. could I borrow that hat of yours?"

* * *

The rabbot hat sat in my inventory, as Fierce Fox and I left that room, entering the vents again, heading towards the room where we got zapped by the rabbot. I was sort of starting to enjoy hopping around in the vents, weirdly enough.

"You're getting better," Fierce Fox told me, gruffly.

"Am I…?" I asked.

She nodded. "Doesn't mean I like you, though."

I sighed. "I can't blame you…"

Since I had deactivated the security, we were free to hop down into the room. I admired the piles of crates and whirring, electric machines in the background. Another girl was in front of me, wearing the same rabbot hat as the other girl.

"Look out behind you!" I yelled.

"Where?" she cried, frantically turning around. I clicked the off button on her rabbot ears. She didn't thank me, for some reason. Instead, I eyed Fierce Fox.

"Could you free the boy other there?" I asked, jerking my head to the right, towards another Poptropican. She gave me a nod and replicated what I did with him. Then the two of us, side by side, bolted past containers stuffed of colourful poisonous liquids and crates full of god knows what.

Together, we faced the security camera, which was connected to a metal door. Since we were not authorised drones, we dropped down a hatch, into a totally different room.

There were bronze pipes connected to red metal blocks, and the whole room shook, steam pouring from miniature themorters connected to the pipes.

Fierce Fox and I trotted to the end of our metal block, where underneath, heated pieces of metal were being smashed by cool metal pillars. The sight of it made my heart jump into my throat.

We hopped off the metal, making contact with a conveyer belt. Fierce Fox held my arm to keep me steady. A piece of flattened metal skimmed past my feet. A sickening crash hit the conveyer belt, forcing me to make eye contact with the great pillar. It raised upwards again, giving me my chance.

Gulping, I slid underneath it, just as it came smashing down. I just avoided it, thank goodness.

We prepared to dodge under the next pillar. We slid under the next one, as it barely grabbed my hair. Then there was a funnel shooting out lava-hot liquid. Avoiding crispy toes, we bunny-hopped (no pun intended) over the boiling substance. Then, at the end of the conveyor belt, we speared across to the other side. I gave Fierce Fox a rabbot hat.

"Put that on," I told her. "We'll need it to fool Doctor Hare."

"Doctor Hare is the main villain, right?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Yep," I put the hat in my inventory on my head, and we looked like twins. "He's the guy we're going to go and defeat now." I gestured to an exit tube near us. "... Foxes first?"

Fierce Fox made a face, then disappeared up the tube. I tried to slide up myself, but of course she had to grab me.

We arrived back in the room full of crates. I went under the security camera, where the authorised drones could go. The security camera scanned me, before opening the bolted metal doors. Fierce Fox quickly joined me, and we headed inside together.

The new room was stuffed full of crates, and robotic platforms were all over the place. Computers were in the corners, all connected to a giant, silver rabbot, with bright green eyes. Dr Hare was in front of us, standing on one of the floating platforms.

"Why are you two standing around?" he demanded. "Get to the computer and start the launch sequence! I'll be waiting in the cockpit. Now move it!" The platform took him away.

"Great," Fierce Fox grumbled. "Where's the computer?"

I bolted up to the rabbot's giant foot. "Here."

I climbed up onto it, feeling the heat. My arms were shaking. I leaped up to the red, glass elbow, then across the blue grid belt, upwards onto the shoulder.

Climbing past the great green eyes, I arrived at a platform on the right, facing a big computer. A hypnotised boy was there, so I smashed his rabbot ears off.

"You've got to stop Dr Hare!" he exclaimed, as Fierce Fox joined my side.

I flipped to the computer, the screen turning ocean-blue. I typed the password in, as well as the command, 'launch rabbot', which was on a sticky note. The whole world seemed to grumble, as the roof screeched open.

The rabbot flew out, fire shooting from the bottom. The computer screen transformed into a game, where I had to steer the rabbot.

I steered the rabbot all over the place, eventually hitting a pixelated asteroid.

" _Watch it, you fool!_ " Dr Hare scowled, his face appearing on-screen.

"Oh, you're destroying his rabbot up in space," Fierce Fox nodded. "Nice."

I crashed into yet another asteroid.

" _What are you doing?_ " Dr. Hare demanded. " _You'll destroy my rabbot!_ "

So of course, I crashed into another one.

" _You'll pay for this!_ " Dr Hare yelled, still furious. I ran into the final asteroid, the rabbot stopping in its tracks.

" _AHH!_ " Dr Hare screamed as the rabbot exploded, and the little pixely Dr Hare flew into the galaxy.

"You did it!" the boy cheered. "Now let's get out of here!"

Ropes dangled down from the ceiling.

"And that's it," I said. "We finished the island."

"That wasn't too bad," Fierce Fox said. "You weren't too bad, either."

"I'd be screwed if it wasn't for you," I admitted.

"True," Fierce Fox shrugged. "But… I guess the same goes for me."

I smiled, staring at my hands.

"Hey, um…" I spoke up. "On Time Tangled Island, you said something about your dad knowing about Poptropica being a game, or something."

Fierce Fox grimaced.

_That's right… she's hiding something too…_

"I don't wanna talk about it here," she growled. "Where's the exit?"

I got out the carrot transporter, which I had picked up at the sewage pipes. "Let's go."

I pressed the red button, and we disappeared in a flash of light.

We re-appeared back outside the factory, the sky now a brilliant blue. Fierce Fox dashed ahead. I walked alongside her, as we got close to the mayor once again. Her expression darkened over.

"You know," she got out. "There's a prophecy."

"Huh?" I asked.

She grimaced. "That's the thing my father…"

"You saved the town!" the mayor cried, handing her the medallion and interrupting her.

"Wait," I looked back at her, "what did you-"

A flash of white overcame my vision, and I vanished back to my world. Plopping back on my bed, I immediately recognised the sharp pain from my legs. The morning birds were chirping noisily outside, forcing my eyes to flutter.

I shook my head, apprehensively swinging my legs off my duvet.

_Looks like I'm not the only one with secrets…_


	8. Super Power

Mom gave me a concerned look as I sat down at the dining table, a plate of buttered toast in front of me. I suppose it was because my hair was messy and bags had appeared under my eyes. I avoided eye contact with her, picking up a piece of toast.

"Alice?" Mom asked, frowning at me. "Did you sleep well? You look tired."

I casually bit into the toast. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a weird dream. But I'm all good now."

My heart thumped. I knew I was going to have to tell Mom about Poptropica at some point, but… I wasn't sure I was ready yet. I didn't even understand it myself. How was I even entering Poptropica at all? That was something I still needed to figure out.

Mom tilted her head. "Well, if you say so…"

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't entirely convinced yet. Mom certainly wasn't an idiot; she could read my emotions very well. Even if I was avoiding the subject for the moment, she'd definitely be onto me about it in the future.

* * *

I entered Poptropica once again that night, landing on the all-familiar Home Island. My body shivered. Today's island was far more dangerous than the other ones. And I couldn't help but feel silly for thinking that Monkey Wrench was bad.

 _Maybe I should just go to one of the Wimpy Kid islands instead,_ I thought. _They don't have anything too dangerous…_

 _No_ , I shook my head. _I need to worry about Fierce Fox. Where is she?_

My poptropican was roaming around on the bridge as usual. I breathed out in relief.

I cleared my throat.

"Hi," I said.

Fierce Fox turned to me. We stood in silence for a few moments.

"Hey," she replied.

Awkward silence.

"So, uh…" I played with my fingers. "Ready to go…?"

"Super Power Island?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Yup… !" I piped up.

And so, without another word, we awkwardly climbed into her blimp, and she pulled up the rope.

"We're going this way," I pointed over the great Poptropican sea. We took off in that direction, peering down at distant islands.

"Why this island?" Fierce Fox asked me. "You seem to have a little order going on with all the islands we visit."

"Huh?" I asked. "Oh, well, um… chronologically, Super Power is the 6th island released, and the 6th island narratively speaking, so… I think it makes sense."

"Really," Fierce Fox's expression was hard to pinpoint.

"Yep," I felt sweat crawling down my neck. "Hey, Fierce Fox, um… I've got a question for you now. If that's okay."

"Fire," Fierce Fox waved a hand.

"... back on 24 Carrot, you mentioned… something about a prophecy," I tilted my head. "What did you mean by that?"

Fierce Fox grimaced. "We shouldn't talk about that now."

She avoided eye contact with me. I sighed and slumped down, gazing at the sea.

We stayed silent for the rest of the trip. A painful amount of silence later, the blimp docked onto Super Power island, which was a little New York-esque city with terrorised people. Broken pieces of roof were everywhere, followed by the bold, yellow police tape. Straight in front of us was a comic shop, with a small green and white rooftop sticking out the front. It had thick stone walls and surprisingly clean glass windows.

"In here," I instructed, and the two of us headed inside. There were shelves and shelves of comics, plus superhero posters on the wall.

A nerdy-looking guy named Ned Noodlehead was at the desk, with french-fry themed hair and huge glasses. Don't forget the sticking out teeth and pimples.

"Do you have anything else apart from comic books?" I asked him.

"I'm glad you asked!" he exclaimed. "Check out this awesome handbook I wrote!" He proudly shoved a handbook into my hands, which disappeared into my inventory.

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and gestured for her to follow me outside, which she did. I led her into the shop next door, which was called 'Superhero Masks & capes', with a big mannequin head at the front, wearing a dark purple superhero costume. Inside was far nicer than the comic store; with a light lime superhero-themed wallpaper and clean superhero costumes.

"Now," I said, getting Fierce Fox's attention, "go and talk to him," I pointed to the man behind the counter, "he'll give you an I.D. Then if you want you can pick up a superhero costume."

"And what about you?" Fierce Fox asked, with her brow raised. I bit my lip.

"I'll be outside." I decided, leaving the store. If I got an I.D card, then I would be a hero too...

_No... this is Fierce Fox's mission... not mine... I'm just going to be there as assistance, no more. I've already been a bother to her for too long. This is my dream, but… I'm not the hero._

Fierce Fox came out, wearing the dark purple superhero suit. It had a cat-like mask and an indigo cape, which matched the t-shirt, crested with a diamond cat symbol. A silver belt was around her waist, and her pants were again the dark purple colour.

"Nice costume," I observed… though in actuality it was one of the worst costumes I'd ever seen. But Fierce Fox wasn't someone I wanted to laugh at.

"Anyway, swim across to the other side and talk to the lady about superheros," I told her. "She'll give you anti-power handcuffs. Then talk to the old man and he'll give you super villain files so you know who you're up against and-"

"Wait," Fierce Fox interrupted me, gritting her teeth. She breathed out. "Uh... so, what exactly are you doing? You seem to be letting me do everything."

I bit my lip. "... Honestly, I think I should take a backseat this time 'round... this is a pretty dangerous island. You can handle it without me."

"Thought we were a team," Fierce Fox huffed, expression darkening.

"We are, just…" I trembled.

"You're never gonna get out of your comfort zone if you keep hiding and running away, Alice," Fierce Fox told me, scowling. She held up a fist. "You wanna become braver, right?"

I flushed red. "I, yes, but…"

Fierce Fox grabbed my arm. "Then you can be my sidekick. Every superhero has one of 'em. And you can learn how to fight."

"I'm really not cut out for this…" I shook my head.

"Not with that attitude," Fierce Fox crossed her arms. "You know what, I'll go and get all the files. You get yourself a hero costume if you want. Then you go and wait by whoever the first enemy is. Once I'm back… we'll combat them together."

"I…" I trailed off.

"See you then," she waved. "And make sure you're there, or I'll kill you." She turned away. "And don't worry. You won't be alone on this."

She leaped off to the other side of the island, which had a big green meteorite. I bowed my head a little, tears threatening to come out.

_I really am useless… being dragged around by my heels… Fierce Fox must hate me._

_No… I have to do this for her. She wants me to._

Slumped over, I walked through the rest of the main street. I barely noticed the buildings we passed, apart from the 'downtown'. I arrived in front of a bank, cliche, it was being robbed by the supervillain known as Copy Cat. The windows were smashed, and the white cement statues had been destroyed.

"We're going in there, right?" Fierce Fox asked, appearing right beside me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Fierce Fox just continued to stare at me.

"Yes," I answered. I shivered. "Are you sure you want me to…"

Fierce Fox glowered at me.

"Okay…" I breathed out. I gasped. "Wait, we need to know what we're fighting! The villain in there is called Copy Cat. Hence the name, she can make copies of herself. When you go inside, she'll make tons of copies of herself and chuck a smoke bomb. We need to destroy all of her copies and capture the original."

"Well, it'll be easier with the two of us, right?" Fierce Fox asked, her expression strained.

I chuckled nervously. "Yeah! Ah ha…"

And so we went into the bank. The bank walls were a grey metal, with lots of wooden platforms hanging objects such as fans. To our left I heard a menacing cackle, where Copy Cat was inside a broken vault, surrounded by piles of cash.

"I'll go and see Copy Cat," I whispered to Fierce Fox. "Go up to the top," I pointed to the layer above us, "to where the money desk is and when you see her, ambush her with the handcuffs."

"Got it, sidekick." Fierce Fox whispered back, giving me a salute.

Meanwhile, trembling, I apprehensively made my way past the broken building parts, trying not to step on the glass shards. I climbed into the vault, where a fallen Copy Cat smirked. She was wearing a black and white prison uniform, and her skin was a pale grey.

"You'll have to be quick to catch all of us!" she jeered, as suddenly lots of Copy Cats ran out of her, dashing right past me. The original dropped a smoke bomb on the ground, spurting out white smoke; the air felt thick and smoky. Coughing weakly, I escaped the vault, bending my knees and punching through the first Copy Cat, who disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Leaping quickly, I smashed my fist into a Copy Cat on the chandelier. I flung down like a bird, landing straight on another Copy Cat. I whacked the smile right off the Copy Cat on the bank counter. I was getting near an elevator. Using the pot plant on the wall, I hopped to the final chandelier, taking out the last Copy Cat.

By now the atmosphere was getting thicker and hotter. I smashed my fist on the elevator button, and I heard it whirring down to greet me. Climbing on board, getting nostalgia from Early Poptropica, the elevator slowly floated upwards. The air had dried my throat, and I forced my coughs in.

I arrived on the top layer, ignoring the white smoke and smashed my way through the Copy Cats, the smoke in my hair and eyes, until I found the last one on the little wooden desk.

"You'll never defeat me!" she cried, making a fist. Suddenly, from behind her, Fierce Fox tackled her to the ground, forcing the anti-power handcuffs around her wrists.

"How did you defeat me?" she panted.

Wheezing from the smoke, I breathed: "You're not the only one with a double act."

What can I say, becoming a superhero (or rather, a superhero's sidekick) allowed me to say really corny lines.

After Copy Cat was arrested (Fierce Fox got the credit), I led Fierce Fox to the next villain: Speeding Spike. I led her into the disgusting subway, which had moldy, sea-green tiles and cockroaches everywhere. Graffiti was drenched all over the walls, and the stairs were crumbling. The one electric light was dimming, surrounded by moths.

Trying our hardest to ignore these gross things, Fierce Fox and I stopped in front of the train (which was also pretty gross), with graffiti all over the windows. Yet weirdly enough, I almost felt… empowered.

"In there is Speeding Spike," I explained, gesturing inside. "He's got the power to run super fast. He also has a bit of a temper problem and will try to strike you when you go near him. In the end, it gets the better of him. Since there are two of us," I couldn't help but grin, "we can make it even more frustrating for him."

The inside of the carriages weren't much better than the outside, drenched in cleaning materials and graffiti. The seats weren't very appealing either, with the stuffing inside poking out.

I felt the train clack along the tracks, vibrating the vehicle. To our very right, Speeding Spike's face had gone crimson and smoke was pouring out of his ears.

"This way," I ordered, gesturing for Fierce Fox to follow. We both did, rather nervously if I say so myself. We eventually (avoiding the split water) got close enough to Speeding Spike for him to strike.

He had a spiky, fluro green mohawk, stubble on his face, a black and white prisoner uniform and two golden, ringed earrings. With me in front, he jumped right at me, causing pain - actual pain - to my body. But unlike pain on Earth, it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Run forward!" I hastily whispered to Fierce Fox. I bent my knees and propelled upwards, leaping over the villain, while he chased after my partner.

_Being a sidekick is dangerous… dangerously… fun?_

Fierce Fox ran too far away before Spike could get to her. I took a deep breath, heading to the dead end of the carriage.

"Yoo hoo!" I cried, waving to him. With a furious expression, he charged towards me like an enraged bull. I winked at Fierce Fox, who dashed forward, appearing at the other end of my carriage.

"Hey!" she called out, just as Spike was about to strike me. He turned around and charged for her instead, when I cleared my throat.

"Hey slow-poke!" I jeered. "Am I too fast for you?"

Spike gritted his teeth and dashed for me, head first.

"BETCHA CAN'T GET ME! WHAT ARE YOU, A SNAIL?" Fierce Fox blew a raspberry at Spike.

The villain appeared even more enraged than ever, and turned to Fierce Fox. Leaving my dead end, I bolted over to him and tapped his shoulder. While I did, Fierce Fox skyrocketed over his head.

"I'M HERE, LOSER!" she cried, as Spike whacked me to the ground. I got to my feet and rushed to Fierce Fox's original position, screaming insults at him while I ran. His eyes began to roll back into his head.

Soon after, he fainted on the spot. Fierce Fox handcuffed him.

After Speeding Spike was shoved back in jail, I led Fierce Fox to the next baddie, who was Sir Rebral. I led Fierce Fox to a far nicer place than the subway: The Park.

There were lovely, stone statues, some destroyed of which where destroyed. Many flourishing green trees were in the background, as well as city buildings. Someone was selling hot dogs there, so I bought one before I forgot to.

"Are you hungry?" Fierce Fox asked, raising a brow.

"You'll understand later," I answered. "Anyway," I pointed towards Sir Rebral, who was standing on a statue Poptropican's torso and below. "That's Sir Rebral. He's got telekinesis, so he's going to float boulders around and stuff. What you have to do is destroy those things floating around him in a circle. This won't be too hard since yet again, there's two of us. It'll be harder for him to take us both on."

Bending my knees, I led her and myself towards the villain, who had a frustrated scowl on his face. He had metal rimmed goggles with green lenses, a black and white striped prison uniform, spiky marigold hair and beard and many rocks and papers floating around him.

As soon as he saw us, he growled and chucked huge stone boulders using his telekinesis. We split up, jumping out of the way.

"We'll run our separate ways!" I cried. "That'll trick him!"

So we did just that. I hopped around left, while Fierce Fox was right. Sir Rebral scowled and tried to aim the boulders at us, but we just kept switching positions and he couldn't keep up. I eventually did a humongous jump right up to his personal circle and knocked down one of the floating papers.

His face turned crimson and he knocked me down onto the ground, where a platform of dirt smashed me into the floor. It didn't hurt, despite how violent it appeared.

However, while he did, Fierce Fox using a fist chipped away at his circle. He clenched his fists, placing his fingers to his temple and smashing her away with a boulder. Back with me, I climbed onto the roof of the bathroom, shoving down a boulder from one of the statues.

It landed right by my side, launching upwards towards the Sir Rebral as he tried to manipulate a patch of grassland beneath my feet. It knocked him straight in the leg, bringing him crashing to the ground. Fierce Fox handcuffed him, saving the day.

 _Three villains down, three to go,_ I thought. _Please don't let this end badly…_

After arresting Sir Rebral, Fierce Fox and I headed to the Junkyard, where the next supervillain Crusher was. The junkyard was a huge mix of rusty metal squashed into a forced field, all held together by a wooden fence. Everywhere I stared there was junk, trash... and more junk. The whole ground shook as Fierce Fox and I entered the junkyard.

"Crusher..." I mumbled, peering up at the villain. "That guy has super strength, as you can sort of tell. What we need to do is to climb up this big yellow crane and get to the top so we drop things on him." I paused. "We'll both head to the top, and one will stay out of sight, while the other will drop the fridge on Crusher."

"I volunteer to drop the fridge on him." Fierce Fox declared, raising her hand. I gave a little chuckle.

"Thank goodness... because…" I paled. "Something happens to you once you do that. No spoilers. Okay, um, let's go!"

Leading her to the end of the fence, I climbed onto an old, ruined couch. Fierce Fox followed behind me, as we jumped from ruined item to ruined item.

"Watch out for the tyre!" I cried, as a monster-truck tyre flew straight towards us. I fell to my stomach, the tyre briefly passing over my head. Fierce Fox however, got hit. I grimaced.

"I'll meet you up there!" I yelled down at her, as I prepared to jump again.

Crusher was glaring straight at me, with an oil canister gripped in his fingers, standing on an old car. Almost throwing up, I sprillad in the air in cool slow motion, the oil cannister right beneath my legs. Landing the other side of Crusher, I latched my arm around the bottom of the yellow crane.

I pulled myself onto the first diamond-shape stretch of the crane, leaping up to the next one. Crusher kept chucking oil canisters at me, which I thankfully managed to avoid. Fierce Fox was struggling a bit however.

"You can do it, Fierce Fox!" I encouraged from the top. "Your sidekick is waiting for you!"

Strange. I had never felt so… peppy before.

Eventually Fierce Fox got to the top. I smiled at her.

"Nice job!" I said. "Now, go in there and turn the magnet control off." I gestured to the little yellow office, on the crane.

Fierce Fox entered the office, while I snuck behind it, where Crusher wouldn't see me. Sure enough, I heard the fridge drop and Fierce Fox get slammed by the fridge being thrown back.

Sneakily, I crept into the office, grasping my fingers on the 'magnet control' lever. I pulled it.

The piece of metal that Crusher was standing on was dragged up by the magnet, crushing him against the magnet, until he was as thin as paper. I peered down from the crane, watching Fierce Fox tie him up.

"Who's the Crusher now?" I mumbled to myself, with a smirk.

The next villain was Rat Man. Unfortunately for him, we had to go into the public bathroom, near where Sir Rebral was. I was extremely thankful that we were both girls, or things would've gotten awkward. We headed into the disgusting toilet, description not needed, and down a sewer in the middle of the room.

As you can probably guess, the sewer was covered with grime, silt and rusty pipes. Right in front of us were dirty brick steps covered with cement slabs. Beneath the two steps was a lake of filthy, sewer water.

"Remind me to have a shower." I cringed, stepping to the edge of the second step.

Thank goodness there were a few floating crates in front of me. I hopped to each one, bobbing gently. Fierce Fox followed closely behind me, until I reached one where a red hydrant wheel was. I turned it, and the water level dropped a few feet.

I pointed to another red hydrant wheel to my right, on another set of brick steps.

"Could you pull that wheel?" I asked Fierce Fox. She nodded, jumping over to the wheel on the other side. She tugged it, and once again the water level raised.

The crate I was standing on was on the right level with another hydrant wheel. Gripping and pulling it, the water level raised once more.

"HERE!" I called, my voice straining as I eyed Fierce Fox. She swam across the disgusting water. I faced such water, a silver pipe blocking my entrance to the next room. I sighed in disgust, dipping my feet in the filth.

Holding my breath, I shoved myself under the pipe, then remerged on the other side.

Thanks to Poptropican physics, all the water cleared off my body as quickly as it came. Fierce Fox joined my side, and we headed into the next room.

The next room was just as disgusting as the last. There was grime all over the walls, platforms of rusty pipes and rats crawling all over the place. I resisted the urge to barf.

"You found me?!" someone cackled. "Well, let's see how you like my little friends!"

It was Rat Man. He had scruffy brown hair and a beard, the black and white prison uniform like the other villains, and a furious scowl. Plus the flies flying around him. Fierce Fox gave me an unusual glance.

"Rat Man," I explained to her. "He has the power to control rats... which is probably the most boring power out of all them. So what we have to do is avoid the rats and get up there." I pointed upwards, towards another hydrant wheel. "Once we do, his fly friends will come after us. They sting, unfortunately. Since there are two of us, it'll be a hundred times easier. I'll turn the hydrant wheel and you can handcuff Rat Man."

"Got it." Fierce Fox nodded.

Taking a deep breath, I leaped to the first pipe platform. A brown, hypnotised rat bared its fangs at me. I leaped out of its way, to the next platform.

Another rat was there and bumped into my foot. I screamed as it knocked me off. My fingers, however, quickly gripped the platform, and I flung myself upwards, landing on the final rat platform.

The hydrant wheel was just above me. I bent my knees, spiralling upwards and grabbing it. I pulled it, and sewerage knocked Rat Man out. His flies, with dangerous stingers, came right for me.

However, before they could, Fierce Fox handcuffed Rat Man. The relief.

"That's 5 villains," I said, once he was in jail. "One to go."

* * *

Fierce Fox and I returned to the Main street, sharing grins.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but we make a pretty good team," Fierce Fox chuckled. "Whoever this last villain is, they have no chance."

I was about to grin with her, until I remembered who the last villain was.

"Oh... about that..." I began, looking away. "Well... we get a superpower for this battle."

"Awesome!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. I took a deep breath.

"Well, the thing is that only one of us can get the power... I think..." I replied, feeling guilt sit at the pit of my stomach.

Fierce Fox didn't reply, but a small frown appeared on her face. I sighed and led her to a silver telephone box, next to the news building. The phone inside rang loudly.

"Go inside," I instructed. "And you'll get the superpower."

"What about you?" Fierce Fox asked, hands on hips.

I bowed my head. "Well, I guess I'll just tell you what to do..."

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I took a deep breath. "Fierce Fox, this is your island and _your_ mission, not mine. You're the one who's going to win the medallion. Like I said, I'm just your sidekick."

Fierce Fox put her hands on my shoulders. "The only reason we're on this island is because of _you_ , Alice. You said that _completing_ this island lets you go back to... your 'world'. The medallion is not just an achievement. It's your path back home. And heck, I wouldn't have been able to beat those guys without you. If anything, _you_ deserve the medal. That's what you want, right?"

My eyes welled up. "Who are you and what have you done with Fierce Fox?"

"Just get in there, idiot," Fierce Fox said, pushing me into the telephone box. "I'll let you have this… just this once."

I was about to pick up the phone, when I gazed at Fierce Fox one more time.

"Are you sure you want me to have it?" I asked. I shivered. "I don't think I can just-"

"I've been credited for all the islands we've been on," Fierce Fox grumbled. "I think it's your time to shine. Don't give me that look. You've been through much more than this. This superpower will be a breeze." She grinned at me.

Reluctantly, I picked up the phone. Suddenly, the whole world felt unusual. It felt like waves of power were entering my body, like my genetics were changing. My skin felt lighter, and my whole body glowed a bright yellow. I walked out of the telephone booth, feeling as light as a feather.

Fierce Fox gave me a salute. "Show 'em who's boss, sidekick."

I blushed, hiding my face from her. "Thanks, boss."

She walked off, letting me do my thing. I breathed out.

"Now..." I muttered to myself. "How do I fly?"

I bent my knees and jumped, hovering in mid-air for a few moments. Then I dropped to the ground, although my feet were about an inch or two above the cement.

_How to go up…?_

I pictured people flying, gliding through the air. I bent my knees, as if I was going to jump, then sprang into the air. It worked.

I soared into the sky like a bullet, my legs dangling behind. I kept going diagonally right, which I didn't really want.

_Ah crap, I can't stop!_

I wiggled my legs, which made me look like a belly dancer.

_Goddammit…_

I bent my legs left, and I flew straight left.

"Okay..." I straightened my legs out, and I soared upwards. Far too much.

_Screw this, I'm walking._

I bent my knees. I crash landed on the floor, thankfully not getting hurt. I got to my feet, never more happy to just be able to walk.

I headed past the bank to the next tall building, which was an office apartment. I glanced at the thick, stone concrete building, with many glass windows.

"Great..." I muttered, knowing I was going to have to fly again. I bent my legs and straightened them, heading directly into the sky, like a bullet. I was beginning to regret accepting the superpower.

I sighed, stopping to pause on someone's balcony. _Right, if I move my legs left, I go left. Same for right. If I bend my knees I fall down... If I straighten them I go up. Depending on how much I move them, I'll move a certain speed._

I glanced at the top of the apartment building.

"Up!" I cried, straightening my legs. I took off once more.

Once I arrived on the roof, I rested my hand against the diamond shaped point. Flying wasn't easy. Then, from on top of the antenna, I heard a menacing cackle.

"Well well well..." a voice hissed. "If it isn't Alice! I've heard all about you."

I shivered, staring up at Betty Jetty as she loomed above. "What do you mean, you've heard 'all about me'?"

She smirked. "Oh... well, I know you're not really from around here, are you? You're from another world."

"What…?" I breathed, shivering. "How do you know that?"

"A little birdie told me." she cackled, glaring down at me.

"Tell me who!" I cried, suddenly flying up towards her.

"You'll have to catch me first!" she chuckled, dashing into the blue sky. I flew after her, and it became a chase.

We soared through the air, as she chucked sharp green slime balls at me. I avoided them, mainly out of fear alone. Betty Jetty continued to chuck the green balls at me, narrowly missing my face. I approached her body, trying to reach out to grab her. She chucked a huge green ball at my chest, shoving me backwards.

I still did not fall, however. I clenched my fists and kept going, flying above her. Betty Jetty chucked a few green ball boomerangs, growling. I avoided them and instead jumped on her body. We both smashed into the roof of the apartments.

"Tell me who!" I scowled again.

"You'll never find out!" she laughed, cackling at my face. "And you'll never stop me - or what's coming for you!"

She was suddenly hit in the back by someone's lightning staff.

"Fierce Fox!" I gasped.

"Your boss has arrived!" she declared, making a triumphant fist. She handcuffed Betty Jetty, and so she got the credit. Of course.

_Man, what was even the point of giving me powers if you were just going to steal my victory?!_

* * *

While we were heading to get the medallion, we had a chat, Fierce Fox ignoring praise from civilians.

"So… Betty Jetty told me something is coming for me," I looked at her. "Does that have to do with the prophecy you were talking about?"

"... I don't know," Fierce Fox admitted. "Maybe. Got any answers about it from your world?"

"Not that I know of…" I shrugged.

"What's your world like, anyway?" she asked.

"Well... it's really different from here," I said. "Ever heard of humans?"

"A few times," Fierce Fox admitted. "I heard us Poptropicans are apparently very similar to them."

"That's true," I agreed, "but we're taller and we have thumbs. There's more, of course, but I can't really go into details. Maybe I'll bring a picture. Anyway, my world's way more dangerous than this one. I mean, some of things you do here would be considered outright deadly in my world."

"I see," Fierce Fox narrowed her eyes. "Explains why you're cautious, then."

I chuckled. "Yeah, it does." I patted her on the shoulder. "Well, go and get your medallion. I'll see you later. Oh, and have this hot dog. It was meant for Ned Noodlehead, but you sort of took his place."

"Uh, thanks," she took the hot dog. "See you later, Alice."

My expression was optimistic, but deep down inside I wasn't. Betty Jetty's words kept repeating in my head. Something was coming for me, and I knew it wasn't good.


	9. Spy

I spent the entire night and day thinking non-stop about Betty Jetty's words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ended up writing predictions instead of taking notes for my maths test. My math teacher wasn't very happy.

As soon as the lunchtime bell rang, I went straight to the library, accessing one of its computers. The bright screen illuminated my face. I quickly opened Google Chrome and clicked on Poptropica. I was about to log in as Fierce Fox, when I hesitated.

 _Maybe she's not the best to use right now_ , I decided.

Instead, I pressed 'new player' and made a random, new account. It was then I began to wonder what happened to new Poptropicans when they didn't make an account. I almost didn't want to know.

 _Why am I doing this…?_ I thought. _No. I have to find out. Surely it's just us. Right?_

My new little Poptropican poofed onto Home Island, where she was greeted by Amelia. I skipped over most of the dialogue; I knew it all already. Then I climbed into my blimp and flew straight to Super Power Island.

I completed the island again, which felt surprisingly odd. I was back behind a screen again, as the player. I was _watching_ the danger rather than experiencing it.

At the end, with the chase against Betty Jetty, I was convinced everything was totally normal.

_She must've been just saying things…_

But right at the very end, when Betty Jetty was captured, something dropped out of her pocket. I couldn't pick it up for an unidentified reason. However, I saw two words:

_Capture Alice._

I paled. _No. I must be seeing thi-_

"Hey, is that Poptropica?"

I jumped, turning around. There was a boy standing behind me. He had olive skin with mild acne, and curly, light brown hair. He wore a blue shirt covered in hearts, and a white top hat with a unicorn horn and wings. He was somewhat large but had a friendly smile.

"Um… yeah?" I said.

"Wow," he laughed. "I used to play that when I was in elementary school. It's still around?"

"Uh, yep…" I replied.

"Niceee," he sat next to me. "Didn't know you were into that stuff. Can you show me some gameplay or somethin'?"

I shrugged. "Uh... sure?"

I flew my new Poptropican around the island with my powers. Marcus raised his brow.

"Awesome," he commented. "Man, I've forgotten most things about Poptropica. But I don't remember being able to fly…"

"It's only on this island," I told him.

"Ha, I see," he chuckled. "You really know your stuff about this game." He held out a hand. "My name's Marcus, by the way. Marcus Fisher."

"Alice," I shook his hand.

"So, Alice…" he leaned forward. "Ever heard of MLP?"

Judging by the look in his eyes, I got the feeling I'd be there for quite a while…

* * *

Fierce Fox and I arrived on Spy Island, via her blimp. Spy Island was a modern-looking island, with many metal buildings and whirring machines. Up above was a clear night sky, while the ground was thick metal.

Fierce Fox and I landed on a semi-sphere shaped hairdresser's, where we slipped off a lamp post. I led the two of us to a headquarters, which was a gigantic metal building.

Inside was completely silver, like the Men In Black headquarters. Metal platforms were everywhere, connected with wires and futuristic gadgets. I peered upwards, knowing that we would have to jump up there. A lot of my fear for jumping had been conquered… though some was still there.

… But it wasn't really _all_ for the jumping. It was for what was up there.

"Up there is Director D," I explained to Fierce Fox. "Believe or not, he's actually the main antagonist for this island. He's just pretending to be good. And he has a little secret - he's bald. He wants to make everyone else bald so they feel his 'pain'."

"Should we attack him?" Fierce Fox asked, making a fist.

I shook my head. "Not yet. We need to talk to him and he'll give us spy information. Then we need to go and complete the island. We need to act like a spy to take down a spy."

I bent my knees, my legs leaving the shiny floor. Fierce Fox followed behind me as we leaped up the top, where Director D was. He was standing in front of a large computer screen, showing images of diagrams. His eyes would not leave me as we stood in front of him. A little smirk appeared on his face.

"I'm Director D," he offered a hand. "Head of the Secret Operations."

"Do you have anything for us?" I asked, cutting right to the chase.

"You'll need this decoder kit to decode messages from other agents." Director D answered, handing me a decoding kit. The smile on his face was still there, as we bidded a brief goodbye. Creepy.

"Let's go," I said to Fierce Fox, as we exited the headquarters. A nervous chill rushed up my spine. I was getting some really bad feelings...

I was so apprehensive that I almost smashed my face right into the Spyglass Eyewear store. Conveniently, it was the store we needed to enter. It had cream bricks, with a sign of a big moustache and glasses out the front.

"It's bigger inside." I pointed out.

Just like I pointed out, it was certainly bigger on the inside. The wallpaper was the same moustache and glasses design, as well as many mannequins with glasses. A man with glasses was at the desk, with a pole gripped in his hand. He glowered at me.

"Now," I spoke up, staring at Fierce Fox. "Go and do the eye test with him. When he points to one, do the opposite one facing it. So if he points to a 3, you point to E. Same with M and W. Once he does that, go outside and jump up to the building above this. The guy in there will give you the chameleon suit, which allows you to blend in with your surroundings."

I gasped. _Wait… what if there's only one suit?!_

As if she had read my thoughts, Fierce Fox asked, "What about you?"

I bit my lip. "Well… we'll see. I'm not sure if we're going to be able to do this one together. I'll be back soon."

I gestured to the man, and headed outside.

_Well, it is a stealth mission… the less people the better, right? Besides, she's Fierce Fox… she's good at everything… I'd probably hold her back on this one. Oh god but I want to be use-_

"Ahem." someone cleared their throat. A pair of glowing eyes in the dark startled me.

The eyes moved, revealing a Poptropican body.

"Fierce Fox!" I almost jumped out of my skin.

"That guy told me he's suspicious of you so he doesn't want to give you a Chameleon suit," she told me.

"What?" I asked. "Suspicious… of me?"

"Said a lot of bad things about you," Fierce Fox grumbled. "But whatever. I'll do this mission alone if I have to. Tell me what to do."

So after explaining how to sneak into B.A.D's HQ to save a spy, I snuck off the opposite direction to the B.A.D Bistro on Balding Avenue, note the foreshadowing.

The B.A.D Bistro looked surprisingly innocent for a villain restaurant, with a large bowl of spaghetti on the roof and glowing windows. Plus, me, a _good_ guy, was totally allowed inside.

Inside had a similar appearance to a normal restaurant; pictures, checkered floor and tasty smells. I rushed past the wooden tables and the quad of villains, trying not to shiver.

I headed straight into the kitchen, where the chef roamed around, carrying a wooden spoon. The kitchen was very normal too: boiling pots; foods; a white layout.

"I'd like to apply for the job." I told the chef.

"Excellent!" he clapped. "There's just one test you'll need to pass. A good chef must have a good memory." He pointed to a little table, which had a selection of cooking staples. "Watch carefully and remember the order of the ingredients."

Using his spoon, he pointed to each cooking staple, in a particular order. I watched intensely, straining my memory. Once he was finished, I replayed the scene in my head, pointing at the staples.

The chef started again, nudging each one gently with his spoon. I copied his exact movements, feeling awfully proud of my memory.

The chef did his final memory round, and I completed that successfully. He grinned.

"Very good!" he said, placing a chef hat on my head. "You're hired!"

I realised I was grinning again. And then my grin vanished when I realized what table I had to go to.

Reluctantly, I headed outside to the villains' table, where they were laughing and chatting. One of them looked up at me, with a stern expression.

"Ah, chef," he ordered. "Fill up my glass." He handed me a wine glass with his fingerprint. I left before they could ask me anything else.

I returned to the kitchen, although that wasn't the place I needed to be in. The place I needed to be in was the vents, so that was where I hopped up to. I shoved my way through the dusty vents, surprisingly making no noise.

I climbed out of the vents, then hopped from hanging light to hanging light. I jumped to the last one, but I accidentally fell off, crashing in front of the exit. Conveniently, the villains noticed me.

"Where are you going?" the one who asked me to fill his drink asked, scowling. I felt a shiver up my spine. He got up and glared at me.

Then, strangely, his expression softened. He whispered something to his associates, and they went back to doing whatever they were doing. I rushed out before they changed their mind and decided to come after me.

_What just happened… ?_

Before I left to find Fierce Fox, I headed up the sloped pathway to a spy hiding near some public plants. He was wearing camo gear. I tapped him on the shoulder; he stood straight up.

"I think this letter contains a hidden message, but I can't decode it." he explained, handing me File X. I nodded at him, then I turned the other way; I needed to get Fierce Fox.

* * *

I found Fierce Fox at the B.A.D's dock. She was still wearing the chameleon suit, her large, rather spooky eyes blinking.

"You don't need to wear that anymore," I laughed. The outfit disappeared off her body, going back to her original outfit.

"Did you get all the items?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Great!" I grinned. "Now we've got a bit of running to do."

The two of us ran through Spy Island, until we arrived at Toupee Terrace (yet again, notice the foreshadowing). There was an old, red-brick house with dark glass windows. Yellow lasers are shining down on some platforms, hot as the sun. I bolted straight up to the house's first wall, then leaped up onto a little stone ledge.

Fierce Fox followed me. I gazed upwards at a window ledge, where a yellow laser was flashing down like a fan. I waited until it disappeared, then I leaped.

The one in front of me was flashing, and soon it stopped. I jumped to that one, waiting for the next one to stop.

"Whoa!" Fierce Fox cried. She jumped behind me, trying to keep up. Suddenly, she was hit by a laser. I reached out my hand, grabbing hers and pulling her up. She then continued to follow me as we avoided the rest of the lasers.

Finally, we achieved our goal and stood at the top. A little attic was in front of us, with jail bars, the bright moon in the background.

I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Can you get out the laser pen?" I asked.

She listened and bought out the little metal tool. I fearfully turned it on, the red colour appearing awfully similar to blood.

Facing the jail bars, with the tool equipped, I began to slice away like a knife. The jail bars simply melted away like chocolate, revealing the attic's dark interior.

I climbed inside, avoiding all the dusty cobwebs and creaky wooden floorboards. A man was in the corner, tied up in ropes. I rushed over and simply touched the rope as if I had superpowers. The man was instantly free, and he got to his feet.

"Free at last!" he exclaimed. "I have something that will help you on your mission."

He held out a grappling bowtie, which Fierce Fox grabbed.

"And do you happen to have two of those?" I asked, not feeling very hopeful.

"Well, the Director did briefly mention that you had an acquaintance," he answered. "Though, I only have the one bow-tie on me."

"Is there something that can... help me get into the air?" I asked, hopefully.

"Not that I know of," he said. "All our jetpacks are being used. Oh, and you'll need these." He quickly handed me some satellite clues. He rushed off before I could say another word. I sighed.

"Follow me," I said to Fierce Fox once I climbed back outside.

She followed me all the way through the town, until we stopped in Balding Avenue, near the spy wearing camo gear. I pointed up at a pale pink building, knowing that was where we needed the bowtie. I bowed my head, ever so slightly, debating with myself what to do.

"Well… once again, only one of us can complete this part." I held out the grappling bowtie. "You'll need this, and the chameleon costume."

Fierce Fox waved a hand. "I can give you the-"

"No," I interrupted, holding up my hands. "Look, I got the superpower last time. This time, you get the 'superpower'."

I placed the grappling bowtie in her hands.

"Then... what are you going to do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"... I'm going to figure out how to stop Director D," I told her.

After explaining to Fierce Fox what to do and bidding her good luck, I found the agent dressed in camo gear again, laying down on his stomach. I breathed out.

"Excuse me," I asked him. "Has Director D said anything about… about a girl called Alice Manchester?"

"Uh..." the agent tilted his head. "Well, I think one of his papers says something about a girl called 'Alice'... I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't know too much."

"Oh.." I said, bowing my head. "Do any of the other agents know anything?"

"Well, the guy who works in Spyglass Eyewear might," the agent answered, with a shrug.

 _Oh, great,_ I groaned. _The guy who thinks I'm suspicious._

So, of course, I asked the guy in the Spyglass Eyewear shop.

"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked.

"... because I am Alice Manchester," I told him, "and I have to know."

The man chuckled. "That only makes you _more_ suspicious. But I'll tell you what. Director D certainly is planning something to do with you."

"What's he planning?" I asked him.

The man looked away and started typing things on his computer, eyes glued to the screen. I sighed and left the shop.

I re-met with Fierce Fox underneath the pink building, who was wearing green, swirly goggles to detect hidden lasers. I gave her a nod of approval.

"Come," I instructed. "We have some more travelling to do."

Again, we rushed through the town, non-stop, until we passed by the red-brick house. In front of us was a dirt hill, with patches of grass. A wire fence was planted on top of it, with a hole ripped right in the middle. We climbed through, arriving in a new area. I turned to my partner.

"Mind if I borrow those?" I pointed to her goggles. She took them off her head and handed them to me. I slapped them around my own eyes, lasers suddenly visible everywhere I stared.

"Follow me and be quick." I instructed.

A straight, red beam was directly in front of my face. I grasped Fierce Fox's wrist, just as it disappeared. I bolted underneath it, not loosening my grip. We performed the same strategy with the next laser, and the laser following it.

The hill we were running on sloped downwards, getting closer to Director D's headquarters. We were quite literally on the side of the building, as we dodged more red-hot lasers. Fierce Fox's head almost got hit, but luckily I managed to grab her just in time.

Finally, the laser part finished and it was time for some platform jumping. Wonderful. Ahead of us were many huge, metal structures, also embedded with yellow technology. A platform was right above us, which we couldn't reach.

"Put the grappling tie on," I ordered Fierce Fox. The bowtie soon popped onto her collar.

I gestured upwards at the platform, then gripped her arm. "Take us up."

Her bowtie extended to the higher platform, taking us with it. I leaped onto the first platform, Fierce Fox right behind me. It gently slithered along, before meeting with another moving platform. We both jumped onto that one, and it moved upwards.

The last platform had a large, metal, bolted door. I gripped the little wine cup in my hands and waved it over the scanner. The door opened with a beep.

Inside had even more lasers and platforms than before. Yellow technology was connected into the walls, as well as glowing wires. We rushed up to a metal platform with a glowing, yellow top. Me in front, we hopped up onto it, avoiding the lasers.

We leaped to the one diagonal, then to the one diagonal after that. Above us was a computer, full of whirring buttons.

"That," I explained, once we got up, "is how Director D will come to us. And then we take him down."

Suddenly, a button near me flashed, capturing Fierce Fox in jail bars.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" she glowered at me.

"I-I don't-" I stammered. "I didn't press anything!"

Director D, just as I expected, appeared in front of us.

"It's a good thing I made it here too!" he cried cheerfully, with a grin. "Now, let's see if we can get those teleporters working."

"Did you trap her?" I asked, pointing at my imprisoned poptropican.

"Well... only _one_ Poptropican can come with me," he said, nicely avoiding the question. "And you're already free, so…"

"Let her go!" I told him, pointing at Fierce Fox.

"Just get the teleporter working and she'll be free!" he replied, laughing nervously.

I sighed and whipped around to the computer, typing in the three passcodes: LASER, HAIR, REMOVAL. The computer buzzed, telling me 'the teleporter is online'.

"It's working at last!" Director D cackled. "BWAHAHAHAHA!" He glanced at me. "Ladies first?"

"What?" I questioned, shaking my head at the sudden confusion. Was I part of the plan? "What's going on?"

"Shouldn't you know that, Miss Manchester?" Director D replied, with a wicked smirk. I gasped.

_No..._

"Get me out of here!" Fierce Fox shouted.

"Or do you still have questions?" Director D chuckled, leaning towards me. "Because who knows, I might have answers…"

_Sorry, Fierce Fox…_

Director D leaped into the teleporter. Heart racing, I followed after him.

I found Director D standing in front of an oddly shaped piece of technology. He grinned darkly and chucked his toupee off, pressing his hand against his machine.

"How do you know my name?!" I demanded. "Tell me!"

"That would ruin the surprise, little miss!" Director D cackled. "All I'll say is you may or may not know them. And since they told me about _you_ , I've been dying to meet you! You know everything about what's going to happen, right? And apparently I'm going to be defeated, yes?"

I stepped back.

"Well, not today!" Director D cackled. "I'm changing things, ALICE!" He rushed off. Usually this was when a horde of mini-bots would come out and try to zap me. But by the way the ground rumbled beneath my feet, I could tell it was going to be different.

A ginormous group of mini-bolts mashed together, their eyes glowing red. Their little sparkling antennas stuck out, as they formed a great creature. It reminded me of Godzilla.

The creature had shocking, electric claws, a glowing, dirty yellow body and dark red eyes. Director D was inside those eyes, controlling the monster.

"Prepare to suffer!" he screamed, as the creature lifted its great foot. With my breath caught in my throat, I leaped out of the way, trembling.

The creature tried to smash me with its claws, though I rolled out of the way.

_There has to be a way..._

I bent my knees and spiralled into the air, the lack of gravity allowing me to jump a little higher (we were in space, after all). The creature attempted to reach out for me again with its deadly claws. However, I just kept jumping out of the way, like prey running from the predator.

"Stay still!" Director D growled from the head.

Suddenly I got an idea. I floated back down to the ground, knees shaking. I rushed forward, the creature racing after me.

I neared the wall, then suddenly back flipped away from it, as the creature smashed into it with a mighty roar of pain. There was a noisy beeping sound coming from the monster, like a computer voice.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Director D screamed, as suddenly the monster began to split.

"There's too much pressure from all the robots pushed together!" I answered, thanking myself for paying attention in science. I heard another scream from the villain, when suddenly the whole robot exploded, covering my vision with pure white.

_Is this… death?_

Not quite yet. Director D was locked up, back in the Headquarters. An agent kindly freed Fierce Fox, who was rather grumpy. She wasn't so grumpy when the Poptropicans congratulated her - and me - and made us both official secret agents.

"Thanks for saving us... and our hair!" laughed one of the agents, as he handed Fierce Fox the medallion. I grinned at her.

"Sorry for running off on you," I apologized, as my world started to brighten.

Fierce Fox held up her fist. "You-"

I sweat-beaded. "Well, I've got to go now. See you later!"

"DAMN YOU, ALICE MANCHESTER!" I heard Director D's voice. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

My view fully became white, and I returned back home.

My thrill rush began to die down as I heard the cry of the morning birds. It was replaced with fear. Fear for the future.

The villains were after me.


	10. Nabooti

Louisa waved at me as we walked into English class. I waved back, apprehensively, though. Something seemed… off about her. I couldn't put my finger on what, though. She looked normal, _acted_ normal...

Chrissi was there as well. She glowered at me, but didn't come over to bother me. Louisa sat beside her; they gazed at each other, fondly. Maybe there really was something between them.

I sat at my own desk, crutches beside me. I shook my head. I had to plan the upcoming islands. Astro Knights and Mythology especially scared me. I had to be prepared for them. Of course, the island I had that night was Nabooti, which was relatively stress-free compared to some other islands.

Luckily, we had a sub that period, so I had some time to prepare. Still, I couldn't help but feel anxious…

* * *

I got an odd surprise as I arrived on Home Island. That surprise being that Fierce Fox emerged from a sizable clubhouse, floating in the middle of the island. It was made out of wood, with little pinwheels attached to the sides. A long ladder stretched down from its entrance, reaching the ground. I gawked at it, eyes wide.

Fierce Fox clambered down from the clubhouse; it disappeared behind her, magically.

I raised my brow at her. "Uh…"

"I need somewhere to go when I'm not running around in different islands," she told me.

"Wow, I didn't know…" I gasped, hand on heart. "Can you show me your house sometime?"

"... maybe," Fierce Fox grunted.

I grinned. "Can't wait to see it."

"Anyway, what island are we going to today?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Nabooti," I replied.

* * *

And thus, Fierce Fox and I arrived on Nabooti Island - which was based on the book of the same name, from the book series _Choose Your Own Adventure_. We landed on a little treetop building with a straw roof. Fierce Fox followed me as I approached the pale brown, planked door. An African inspired mask was on the door.

I opened the door, entering the museum.

The room was made out of the light brown wood planks, held together by a bamboo frame. Everywhere I looked there were African artifacts. I continued walking, dropping down to the below level, which was a shade darker than the above. Fierce Fox continued to follow me, as I rushed right.

Ahead of me, drenched in the sun, was a chocolate-brown, tall statue. It had a colourful mask as a head, and 6 hexagons were displayed on the front, like a column. The bottom two had an orange and yellow jewel inside, shimmering in the pale light. A lady was standing in front of it. I approached her, gazing back and forth from the Statue of Nabooti.

"Why are most of the jewels missing?" I asked.

"They've been lost to the ages," she replied. "We've only managed to recover two of them." Her eyes widened slowly. "We are looking for an adventurer to recover the remaining jewels. Would you two be interested?"

"Yes!" I answered, shooting a glance at Fierce Fox. "We're in!"

"Wonderful!" she clapped. "Take this map to the pilot outside to begin your quest. Good luck!"

A map flew into my inventory, beside my island plan. I nodded, then turned to Fierce Fox. We left the Museum.

"So..." my partner began, giving me a slightly perplexed glance. I chuckled.

"I better explain," I sighed. "So basically, we're travelling around Africa - based off the countries in my world - to find the jewels of Nabooti."

"Why?" Fierce Fox asked. "What are these Nabooti thingies anyway?"

"To help the people who live here," I responded. "The jewels are part of the statue. They're important, trust me."

By now, we had made our way out of the museum, past the trading posts and to a little old yellow plane, sort of like Amelia's. A pilot was standing in front of it, ready to fly us around.

"Okay, let's get on the plane." I said.

We both climbed aboard, and a traditional adventurer's map appeared in front of Fierce Fox's face. She raised her brow at me. I took the map into my own hands, noticing a little yellow plane zooming across the old-style Africa map. I controlled the plane, taking it to a little dot called 'Blue Nile Falls'.

* * *

We popped up onto a beautiful mountain setting. Around us was nature, and thick, grey platforms made out stone bursted from the ground, covered in grass. A waterfall, shimmering in the sunlight was by the rock's side, trickling down into a river.

"It's just a short few jumps," I told Fierce Fox. "Jump up there and grab a blue flower. Then leap across and meet me over there."

I pointed to a platform on the other side, which was connected by a flying fox-like rope. We split up, me jumping across the wondrous waterfall. The rocks were smooth, though not slippery.

After leaping across, I arrived on another platform. Above me were a few rocks sticking out. I climbed up each one, feeling much more confident than I was 9 nights ago. I couldn't believe I was too scared to jump up one rock on Monkey Wrench Island. I almost smiled at the thought.

On the top, a lady was standing in front of a yellow basket connected to the rope, a fox, a chicken, and a bag of feed surrounding her.

"Can you help me figure out how to get everything across?" she asked.

A screen popped in front of my face, giving me a horizontal view of the rope across to the other platform. I picked up the chicken and placed it in the basket. I dragged it (and the lady) across to the other side. I continued with a pattern like this, figuring it out.

Eventually, I completed the puzzle, and the lady grinned at me. "You did it! Thank you! As a reward, I'm going to tell you a secret. There's a hidden cave behind the large bush on the right side of the waterfall."

I nodded, then turned around, spotting Fierce Fox.

"Now to find a jewel," I said. I explained to her what to do, and to find the purple jewel of Nabooti inside the cave.

* * *

The next location was the Mountains of The Moon. It was most certainly a mountain, with grass covering more stone platforms. Not many moons, though.

"Stay here," I told Fierce Fox. "I've got this covered." She nodded, sticking near the plane.

Ahead of me was a small river, with an agitated goat. I raced over the goat, over some trees, onto a wavy, long, rock platform. A lady with a blue turban was standing on it, right next to a prickly cactus.

"I'm collecting cactus figs, but there's one on that cliff I can't get to!" she exclaimed. I headed over to the aforementioned rocky cliff, which had a cactus poking on the top.

A pink, strawberry-like fruit was on top, waiting to be picked. I climbed up onto a rock, and leaped towards the fruit. I grabbed it and fell back down. I continued onwards, hopping across a trickling waterfall.

I leaped up a few more platforms, avoiding the goat. Then I came to a rocky slope covered in ice, giving me horrid nostalgia of climbing up Mt. Everest in Time Tangled Island. Don't forget to mention that boulders were also falling down the slope.

After an adventure with hopping and dodging, I made it to the top platform. An old man was standing in front of a dark cave, blocking the entrance.

"Life is lonely up here," he sighed. "Beat me at a game of mancala and I'll let you enter the cave!" He got out a wooden board game.

When I had played the game with Fierce Fox back in my world, I had never been very good at it. It had taken me a few good tries to complete it, sadly.

I was not in the mood for that again. I suppose it was better than some of the other things I'd inevitably have to face. I watched his pale orange stone hop across the screen with intense eyes.

Finally, after a nail-biting game… well, _games_ , I won and he let me enter.

The inside of the cave was full of damp snow, rocky platforms, and pale sunlight. With my feet sliding along the platforms, I jumped across a chasm, avoiding an icicle. Ahead of me were a few narrow platforms.

Carefully, I leaped across each one, feeling shivers down my spine. I lunged for the final one, suddenly slipping off. I let out a faint scream, gripping onto the side with my fingers. The ice was was cracking, and I could feel myself falling. It was over...

_Or is it?_

I furiously shoved my legs into the mountain and hoisted myself up, rolling onto the snow platform.

I banged right into the red nabooti gem, chest lowering... then, I rolled to my side, near the edge. Now I really did have to fall down… which was just as intimidating as hauling myself up.

I let myself fall off, landing in a heap of snow. I rushed underneath the great bottoms of the platforms, until I found a cell phone, near a skeleton. I breathed out, grabbing it.

* * *

The plane landed into the Kaya Forests. It was more of a flat area, the sky pitch black with faint clouds. Ahead of us were many tents made out of grass and hay, with more African symbols.

I leaped across the roofs of the tents, until I found a palm tree. Something gold was sticking out of it. I lunged up and snatched it; it was a gold nugget. Interesting. Not everyday you find a gold nugget in a tree.

I returned to Fierce Fox.

"Remember that Egyptian lily - the blue flower you found?" I asked her. She nodded. I chucked her the gold nugget, watching it vanish into her inventory. "Okay, now it's time for you to do some trading."

After Fierce Fox finished trading the gold nugget for a camera and the flower for a turban, she came to pick me up and we flew to Giza.

Giza was set at night, a place of misty pyramids, stars and pale rocks. That was when I realized that there was only one turban. Oh no. Only one of us could do this part. I gulped, feeling sweat prick my neck.

I faced Fierce Fox, a lump in my throat.

_Enough cowering around._

"Hand me the turban," I said.

She raised a brow, but handed me the turban anyway. I placed the turban over my eyes, covering my face in cloth.

I ran up to one of the guards in a turban, who was wielding a shovel.

"Oh good!" he said. "An extra hand! You'll need a shovel." He handed me a shovel. I gave him a nod, returning to my partner sticking around the plane.

"Take this." I ordered, giving her the shovel. I told her what to do, which involved more trading. She didn't seem too happy about that. Her glare made me shiver.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Just some, um, uninteresting stuff," I stuttered.

She stared at me, brow raised. "... okay."

She left in the plane, leaving me in the cool blue desert. Feeling oddly lonely, I headed over to a shadowy tent at the end of the area. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed a number that was on the shovel, through memory alone. A phone buzzed inside a tent.

A guy outside heard it and grumbled, "Where did I put my phone?"

He walked out of sight, searching for the phone. I noticed the guards holding shovels make an exit before he could return. Meanwhile, I placed my hand inside his saddlebag, pulling out a cream-coloured sphere, or should I say, the moonstone.

I climbed up to the top of the pyramid, or the Sphinx, where a little ring was shining in the light. I placed the moon stone inside the ring, which shot down a beam and opened the pyramid.

I jumped off the side, landing on my feet. With a mix of apprehension and determination, I entered the Sphinx.

Inside was a sandstone filled area, carved with Ancient Egyptian-esque symbols. Above my head the roof had been carved, forming lines. I ran underneath them, bumping into a stone board on the wall with more Egyptian symbols, which I needed to remember for future events.

I looked over my shoulder. No one there. Yet, I swore I heard breathing, or footsteps…

I slapped my forehead. _You're hearing things, stupid…_

I continued, until I reached the end of my path, going into a new location. A stone was by my head, with a few sticks which I needed to rotate in the correct fashion. I did so, setting them all in a perfect column.

I leapt onto the next platform, which led to a bridge made out of an aqua metal and with golden imprints. The wall by my side was covered in more Egyptian symbols. It was just a little jump after that, and I was into the next section.

I hopped up a few blocks. I came to a little flat area, where some blocks with streaks were on a platform, hovering above the ground. I shoved all of the blocks down, separating them. Following the encrypted pattern on the wall, I pushed the blocks into the correct positions.

A creak boomed through the room, and a door lifted open. I entered through it, going to yet another area.

Poles were at the opposite ends of each other, however they appeared exactly the same, full of Egyptian symbols and a Poptropican version of Cleopatra. Red, stone platforms were above my head, with inscriptions of insects and other animals.

I leapt up every platform, arriving at the very top, where a rope dangled down. As soon as I leapt off the last platform, it collapsed below my feet. I gripped tighter on the rope, hauling myself up.

_I'm getting better at this…_

The next room was still made out of sandstone, and had icons and things similar to the previous room. Next to the poles was a grand statue of the Poptropican Cleopatra, holding out her flat palms.

I leapt onto one of them, then I soared right across. I landed on the other side, in front of an encrypted story, which seemed to be gods surrounding animal head jars.

To my right was another Cleopatra statue, with more poles and treasure. In the middle, above the story was a golden coffin. Each jar on Cleopatra's sides had an animal head: The Egyptian gods.

The first jar was the jackal **.** It was on a ledge, connected to one of the poles. On the pole was a lever. I pulled the lever, and the jar dropped down. It landed in Cleopatra's flat palm.

Suddenly, out of their o-shaped mouths, the Cleopatras started to spit out sand. It poured like a waterfall, flooding the room.

I tensed up. For some reason, it felt like eyes were peering at me from somewhere. My body began to shake. Then, a shadow appeared above my head-

"So, boring stuff, huh?"

I jumped. Fierce Fox was standing behind me, arms crossed.

I stammered. "What are you-"

"You were acting pretty… sus," Fierce Fox told me. "Why are you hiding things from me?"

I bit my lip. "I… we need to get out of here…"

Sweat started to drool down my neck and my back. Ignoring it, I hopped up to the ibis and pulled the lever beneath it. I could feel the sand shaking the floor.

Shivering, I went underneath the monkey (or baboon). Now the sand was rising faster than before! I shoved the lever down, then rushed to the final jar, which was a human that had a frog-like appearance.

The sand, by my surprise (and horror) had reached my waist and I was swimming in it. It was raising faster and faster, burning my skin. It pulled me in. My lungs collapsed.

"Help!" I begged.

"What did you do?!" Fierce Fox asked. Making a face, she grabbed the lever. The sand stopped completely, thanks to the jars. I gazed upwards, staring at the coffin. The door was open. A mummy was inside. And that mummy had the blue nabooti jewel.

Fierce Fox pulled me out of the sand. We jumped up to the coffin and gently grabbed the blue jewel out of the mummy's clasped fingers. I breathed out in relief. So of course something had to go horribly wrong.

"Why'd you lie to me?" Fierce Fox asked.

I sweat-beaded. "Uh, well…"

The whole room began to shake, as if there was an earthquake. I could feel the blocks breaking beneath my feet.

"T-This isn't supposed to happen!" I gasped.

"It's not?" Fierce Fox asked.

The roof began to crack. I knew sticking around wasn't going to do any good.

With our lives on the line, Fierce Fox and I sprinted out of the room, avoiding the falling rocks. The world around me was a blur, as I followed nothing but my instincts to help me escape. I heard things being smashed, and sand pouring like rain. I wanted to scream, cry and survive all at once. But above all I wanted to live.

Trying to blink out the sand in my huge eyes, I shoved through more falling rocks, feeling myself fall down a few levels. The rocks were bashing on my arms, though they didn't hurt at all. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glorious exit. It almost appeared golden.

"Come on!" Fierce Fox shouted.

We charged towards the exit, like it was the gateway to heaven. Fierce Fox was ahead of course, while I slipped. I plummeted backwards, nearing the sandy abyss…

_No… not this time._

I lunged myself forward, reaching the exit. Fierce Fox helped me up. Without another word, I threw my arms around her body. She tensed up. I stammered back.

"Sorry, I…" I shook my head, clinging onto her. "I shouldn't lie to you anymore, I just… wanted to handle this alone. I wanted to feel strong."

Fierce Fox sighed; luckily, she didn't punch me. "Be more honest next time, okay?"

I nodded. "I will."

 _What happened back there?!_ I tensed up. _Oh, god… why do I feel like I'm in for it now..._

* * *

Next on our list was Safari. Safari was a desert area, with the ground dried up like a prune. The sky was a pale blue, with puffy clouds bouncing against each other. Rushing past the straw tents, I skidded in front of a jeep, with faded animal prints and the words, _'Big Zeke's wild safari'_.

I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Wanna do some photography?" I asked, with a small grin.

"I've done it all here already," she shrugged. "Why not?"

"Few. I'm tired out anyway." I giggled back in reply.

I explained to Fierce Fox what to do, while trying to ignore my foggy mind. I had actually wanted to participate in safari, but my nerves were so hyped up that all I wanted to do was sleep.

 _Maybe I can ask Mom for a day off,_ I thought, as Fierce Fox talked with Big Zeke. _I have lots of islands to plan anyway. And I need to figure out what happened in Giza..._

* * *

Before I knew it, Fierce Fox had completed the safari and earned the hard hat, for the miner's cave. The plane flew to a little place called the Diamond Mines, which was indeed a gigantic brown mine. I decided to be more helpful this time 'round, by explaining to Fierce Fox what we needed to do and what was going to happen.

I knew that the guards would tell me off since I wasn't wearing a hard hat, so Fierce Fox covered me as we ran past the piles of brown coal. Moving conveyor belts were above us, pulling large rocks. I ran right to a machine, with a little dial.

"I'm going to turn this," I said to Fierce Fox. "Then I want you to run where I told you to! Do what I told you to do!" I gazed at her expression. "Hey, just so you know… I wouldn't be able to do this without you. Thank you."

Fierce Fox tch-ed. "Yeah, I know." A small smile was on her face.

I pulled the little dial, and a timer ticked. Fierce Fox bolted away like the wind. The mine workers noticed me and growled about my lack of a helmet. I sighed, trotting away before they could beat me up.

I sat on the plane's wing, near the driver. My head was spinning.

 _What happened in Giza?_ I thought. _Was it a glitch? Am I changing the game by being here? No… someone knows I'm not from here._

For some reason, my thoughts trailed to Louisa and Chrissi. They had been acting odd lately. But surely that didn't mean anything, right?

* * *

After Fierce Fox returned, we returned to Nabooti to return the jewels. We headed inside the museum, the two of us together again.

We rushed down to the second level, where we found the statue of Nabooti. The lady told us to order the gems in the correct position.

"I've got this." I said, stepping forward. Using the clues and my memory, I ordered the gems correctly, in a beautiful pattern. Suddenly, the statue's bright green eyes opened, and gears began to turn around the gems.

" **Thank you, my friend,** " it boomed. " **Now that my power crystals are restored, I can finally return home.** "

Green sparks fizzed at the bottom, then like a rocket, the statue took off into the sky and out to space.

"Amazing! I would have never guessed that the jewels were of alien origin!" the lady exclaimed, with great joy. "Thank you for your help!"

The Nabooti medallion appeared around Fierce Fox's neck, and my screen faded to white. I gave a small wave to my partner, though the fear continued to brew in my belly.

_I have a mystery to solve._


	11. Big Nate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some art for this story now available on my deviantart iHateFridays, tumblr ihf-arts, twitter FridaysHate or Instagram ihatefridaysihf.

Fierce Fox's magnificent blimp landed on Big Nate Island. The first thing I noticed was the art style. It was much more newspaper-cartoon-esque. Definitely not Poptropica style.

I held out my feet, landing on a wooden surface. Right next to me was an old, pale blue building with a dark blue tiled roof, sitting on cement ground. I walked up to a boy with spiky, black hair standing near a bench. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt, the top part highlighted in blue, stretching across the tips of his shoulders. He also had jean shorts and white sneakers.

"I'm supposed to be on my way to school, but I…" he trailed off, staring at Fierce Fox. His cheeks went bright red. "Oh… um… never seen you around here before. A-Are you new here?"

Fierce Fox stared at him, blankly. "Yes…?"

"Oh, um…" Nate kept stuttering. "Wow, um… I almost feel like I've seen you before, but now… now you're so…"

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

Nate shook his head, returning his gaze to me. "Oh, um, well, I'm hoping to find some clues about the capsule here on Main Street." He went back to staring at Fierce Fox, stars in his eyes. She didn't return the gaze. I quickly led her away, into the Pop In Shoppe.

Nate followed us inside, smiling at Fierce Fox. Not really paying attention to him, I hopped up a few red platforms to the attic. Only then did I take in the shop's surroundings - most things were very simple. They seemed to be stripped from a comic book, like the rest of the island. The attic seemed kind of cosy, with a plump green couch and lots of junk surrounding it.

I walked up to the couch and picked up a piece of illustrated paper on it - part of a Big Nate comic.

"What's that?" Fierce Fox asked, entering the attic.

"Part of a comic," I answered. "There's more we need to find. We can start by getting out of here." I leaped down and out of the Pop Shoppe. Fierce Fox followed.

"Okay, so what's the deal with this island?" she asked, giving me a glance.

"In a nutshell, we're doing a bunch of stuff to find a time capsule for Nate." I explained.

"Who's Nate?" Fierce Fox asked.

 _The guy who was ogling you,_ I thought.

"The guy who wants to find the capsule and become rich," I explained. "He's the guy we saw before. However, everyone else wants to fix the school." I pointed up at some power lines. "Go up there and find a piece of paper. Meanwhile, I've got some photography to do."

Fierce Fox gave me a weird look.

"It'll make sense, I promise," I chuckled, anxiously.

* * *

I headed to a little place called the Photo Studio. It was literally shaped as a camera; the lenses were the circular, blue doors. I opened them, entering a room which reminded me of the Tardis; the room was much bigger on the inside, and shaped like a box. The interior was yet again simple, with a small wooden desk, checkered wallpaper, and a yellow screen for taking photos. On one of the lights was a comic strip. Using my enhanced jump, I reached up and grabbed it.

* * *

Fierce Fox and I bumped into each other.

I grinned. "Got it?" She nodded. "Great, now let's continue!"

She followed me as we ran past the school (I could see why they wanted to fix it - it was a mess), and entered the playground. It sort of reminded me of school camp, with a rock-climbing wall, monkey bars and etc. Above the great grey climbing wall was yet another piece of flying paper.

"I'll take care of this one," I told her. "Go to the lighthouse and catch the one there."

Fierce Fox nodded and rushed off.

"WAIT!" I cried, before she was completely out of sight. "Don't forget to look through the telescope, get the comic on the roof - like I said - and pick up the flying picture, near the ladder there."

She nodded and left.

Once she was gone, I climbed up the wooden frame, gazing at all of the slides and monkey bars. Next to the peak of the climbing wall was a bridge, with coloured, plastic lumps. I ran up to it, Nate following behind me, a grin on his face.

"Hey, so, um, about your friend," he tapped his fingers together. "What's her name?"

"Fierce Fox…" I replied.

"Wow, what a beautiful name," he gushed. He coughed. "I mean. Um. So, what are her interests?"

"Uh…" I made a face. What were Fierce Fox's interests? I realised I didn't even know. Did Poptropicans even have interests?

"She likes… being badass," I got out. I focused my attention on the illustrated paper flying around in the sky; I soared upwards and grabbed it.

"Being badass?" Nate asked me, tilting his head. "So… she likes tough guys?"

"I really don't know, honestly," I shrugged. "You might have to ask her yourself."

Nate went red. "Oh… um…"

He swayed from side to side, cheeks burning. Now _I_ was starting to feel a little queasy.

"I've… got to go," I leaped away from him.

I made my way down the playground, paying short attention to a trio of chatting girls. Underneath their feet was the capsule, but of course we weren't meant to know that.

Sighing, I exited the area. Fierce Fox came up towards me, grinning proudly.

"Where next, know-it-all?" she teased, crossing her arms.

"Know-it-all says this way," I joked back.

We returned to the crappy, red-brick school, which was literally leaning like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Wooden construction frames were on the sides, littered with wood planks and paint buckets. I jumped up the square-shaped wooden frame, reaching the top. There, through my bulging eyes, I saw the next comic piece. I snatched it up, then hopped back down to the ground.

I faced Fierce Fox. "Ready for school?"

* * *

We pushed open the old, frail wooden door of the school. The doorframe said 'Knowledge', with a drawing of a lobster above it. Inside wasn't much better than outside. The red and yellow tiled floor was cracked, pieces of the wall were missing, water had been spilled all over the floor and the P.A was hanging out by a wire.

"Whoa," I observed. "This makes my school look like a palace."

I climbed up the semi-destroyed brown stairs to the busted P.A. A comic strip was hanging off the wire. I grabbed it, not receiving one electric shock. My feet landed on the second platform, in front of the door to the Science Lab. Fierce Fox and I went inside.

The Science Lab was probably the least damaged place in the entire school, although some of the blue and yellow floor tiles had been stripped up. The posters were pretty old-school, one showing a picture of a fish, going through stages until it became Nate. No wonder the guy had a big ego, honestly. He was everywhere. Not to mention the island was named after him.

I trotted up to a little stove, which had a conical flask on it. Three test tubes were nearby, each separately full with the three infamous primary colours. I gestured Fierce Fox over to be my 'lab assistant'.

"Now," I instructed. "Pour about a seventh of the yellow stuff into the conical flask." Fierce Fox picked up the test tube, and did such thing. I did likewise with the blue ingredients. Then, I turned the little dial underneath on, heating up the concoction. I almost felt like a mad scientist… although I had done similar in my own school.

The olive-green liquid began to smoke. The stench made me want to puke.

"Wow! A stink bomb!" Nate exclaimed, popping out of nowhere. "Now that's what I call a science project!" He blushed when Fierce Fox stared at him. "Oh, hi, Fierce Fox…"

"Hey," Fierce Fox raised a brow at him.

"Definitely stinky..." I commented, thankful once the object vanished into my inventory. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Run to the end of this room and pick up another piece of the comic on the Solar System model." She nodded, grabbing it before I could blink.

She followed me out of the science lab and to the locker area. One of the orange, metal lockers - Nate's locker, specifically - was stuffed full of fruitless papers. I held out my hand.

"Comic pieces," I said. "All of them, please."

Fierce Fox handed them over. With all of the comic pieces in my clutches, I began to piece them together, like a puzzle. The white boxes around the separate comic strips had a code - more specifically, Nate's _locker_ code.

I faced Fierce Fox. "Would you like the honours?" I asked, gesturing to the locker. "Put these numbers in, column order: nine, three, zero, five."

I took a few steps backwards while she did that, a grin appearing on my face. Suddenly, Nate's locker flew open, and many papers bombarded Fierce Fox, sending her flying across the room. I snickered into my palm.

"Hilarious..." groaned the dazed Fierce Fox, rolling her eyes at me.

I trotted up to the locker; in front of it was a big pile - scratch that, _MASSIVE -_ pile of papers. My hand reached in like a scavenger and pulled out the school blueprint. God knows how Nate got his hands on that.

After Fierce Fox finished pulling paper out of her hair, we left the school and returned to the Photo Studio. However, instead of going right to the screen, we turned left to where a middle-aged man stood. He was near a lime green wallpaper with many photos on the walls. Behind him was a stand with a scuba diving costume.

"Ask him to trade that old photo you found at the lighthouse for the scuba diving costume," I told Fierce Fox, letting her go in front of me.

And so she did. The scuba gear floated into her inventory.

I nodded. "Perfect. Let's go."

* * *

We headed inside the 'Krazy Komix' store, which was a parallelogram-shaped, orange building with huge doors, with an imprint of Nate's face right on the front. Once again, no wonder the guy had such a big ego.

Inside was a variety of comics, pictures and information about the island. The first thing I noticed apart from the blinding colours was the teacher standing near a table of books. I simply approached him, and he said-

"Holy cow, you found all of the pieces of the comic!" he beamed. "I'm glad I could finally see it! You can keep the comic, and here's a little something for all your hard work!"

A packet of stale bubblegum flew into my inventory. I turned back to Fierce Fox.

"Now make a choice," I offered, making her raise her eyebrows. "Detention or scuba diving?"

"I have the scuba thingy..." she said. I shrugged.

"Good point," I said, my hands in my pockets. "This is what you need to do.."

* * *

I returned to the broken-down school, feeling a little... guilty. I barely ever got in trouble - heck, the worst thing I had ever done was be a few minutes late to class. I had never been late before so I got a late pass, and it wasn't really trouble anyway because of my legs.

But I, Alice Manchester, had never ever been to detention. Ever.

Until now.

I groaned, trying to get over losing my innocence.

 _But once you've destroyed it, there's no getting it back_ , a wary voice in my head warned.

 _Oh come on_ , I groaned. _There's way scarier things in Poptropica than freaking detention. Get over it._

Sighing, I placed the stale gum in my mouth (which tasted blander than tofu) and reluctantly chewed. I blew a few bubbles, which was abnormal since blowing bubbles wasn't my strong suit. A door was thrown open, and a grumpy teacher stormed out, glaring at me.

"I smell bubble gum!" she commanded. "Get over here!"

As if they could move on their own, my legs carried me over to her and into the detention room. It was a simple wooden room, with a few columns of desks, and a teacher's desk at the front.

"No gum in school!" the teacher hissed. "And no talking in detention!"

I stood there, nonchalantly. My inventory flew open, and I placed down the stink bomb, holding my nose.

"Eeewh!" the teacher cringed. "What is that awful smell?" She raced out of the room.

 _Perfect_.

I rushed past the teacher's desk, to a few seafoam coloured drawers. Of course, they weren't really drawers. I opened the bottom two, revealing a ladder. I slid down this ladder, which was broken at the bottom.

The area I snuck into was as dark as night, covered in dust. I found a light switch, which enlightened the area. It was like a little garage, with many tools you'd use in a garden or on a car. I passed the tools, which were hung up on the lavender wallpaper.

A boy was at the end of the room. He was just standing there, gazing at nothing. A bit creepy if you ask me. Anyway, I spotted a bronze bell clapper hanging from the ceiling. I reached out my fingers with a leap and grabbed it, watching it vanish into my inventory.

* * *

I left the crappy school, heading to the lighthouse. I prayed that Fierce Fox hadn't drowned and had retrieved the items. Luckily, that was the case.

"So, what now?" Fierce Fox asked, as we stood near the grey rocks of the white and red lighthouse. Our feet just emerged in the water, near the Oyster Beds. I grinned at the Jet-skis floating nearby us.

"We're going to ride," I told her. "Give me the keys."

She handed me the keys, and I climbed onto the rough rocks. I jumped onto the jet-ski, keys in hand.

Suddenly, Nate appeared out of nowhere, a competitive beam across his face.

"Whatever's out there, I'm going to get to it first!" he yelled, making his way over to the jet-skis.

"Well, Fierce Fox actually wanted to get it first," I told him. "She wants it _really_ bad." I winked at Fierce Fox.

"Oh…" he trailed off. "She did?"

"Uh, yep," Fierce Fox shrugged.

"Well, Miss Fierce Fox," Nate scratched the back of his head, "I can get it for you, if you like…!"

"Sure," I told him, patting Fierce Fox's shoulder. "She'd love that."

"Yeah, uh huh…" Fierce Fox grunted.

"Consider it done, miss!" Nate grinned, hopping onto the jet ski. He took off.

"You just… got him into doing work for us," Fierce Fox stared at me.

"Hey, jet ski riding is kinda dangerous," I laughed.

"Haven't we been through worse?" Fierce Fox raised a brow.

"Maybe, but still," I dug my hands in my pockets. "Plus, his ego needs to be knocked down a little."

* * *

Nate soon returned, offering Fierce Fox a scroll of paper. "For you, m'lady. Straight from the rocks."

Fierce Fox took the paper. "Um, thanks."

Nate fluttered his eyelashes at her.

"Come on," I dragged Fierce Fox before Nate could start speaking.

I ordered Fierce Fox to use her lobster (from diving into the sea) to rotate the light around at the top of the lighthouse. She did so; the brilliant white light shined on the school's bell, on top of the school. A seagull that had been nesting there squawked and flew away, leaving behind its nest.

Of course, we weren't going to the school just yet. There was something we - well, _I_ needed to

take care of first. And that was going to Nate's kid club, back in the playground. I had an idea, especially since learning something about Nate's feelings.

I gave Fierce Fox the bell clapper and told her to go to the school bell and ring it. Meanwhile, I waltzed back to the playground, where Nate followed me again.

"So…" I turned to him. "You want to know the way to Fierce Fox's heart?"

Nate went red. "Uhhh! What gives you that idea?"

I stared at him.

"Yes, please, tell me," he dipped his head. "Any tips would be extremely helpful!"

I grinned. "Well… I found out something Fierce Fox _really_ likes."

"What is it?" Nate's eyes lit up.

"Peanut butter crackers," I told him. "She'd love anyone who gave her some."

"Oh, I've got some on me right now," he blushed. Just like nothing, he held out a box of peanut butter crackers, which were way past their expiry date.

"I'll take those to her and say they're from you," I told him. "What say you?"

"Oh, that would be great," he nodded, bowing his head. "Thank you. You're a big help!"

"Of course," I smiled. Ah, the wonders of manipulation.

Suddenly, a noisy bell rung boomed through my eardrums, no doubt none other than the school bell. The girls who were chatting nearby swiftly moved away. I trotted over to where they were standing, opening the box of peanut crackers. I pulled out one of the expired crackers, placing it on the floor.

"He-hey!" Nate stammered, appearing near me. "I thought those were for Fierce Fox!"

"Here, boy!" I called, tapping my foot, swiftly ignoring Nate.

A pale red dog with an Elizabeth collar around his neck showed up, picking up the cracker in his jaws. He dug a spot underneath it, revealing some sort of grey box. I picked up the grey box, which was covered in stains. It seemed to be pretty old. My finger flicked up the lock. A shimmer in the box caught my eye.

Nate grinned, peering over my shoulder. "Wow, look at the pearl! That must be worth a fortune! Hey, maybe we can sell it and split the money!"

"Sell it, eh?" Fierce Fox walked over.

Nate went red, hiding behind my shoulder. "Oh, hi, Fierce Fox! You, uh, want some of the money as well?"

"Why not," Fierce Fox shrugged.

Then Nate's other crush Penny arrived, grinning at the pearl.

"Nate, you found the treasure!" she cried. "Now you can save the school! You're a hero!"

Nate's eyes scanned Fierce Fox and Penny, looking back and forth. He sweated up a storm.

"Uh... just... save the school!" he got out, face entirely red. "Yeah, that was my plan all along!"

He then leaped into a nearby bush, leaving the pearl with Penny and I. We gave each other a strange glance.

* * *

"Thanks to you, the school can remain open." The detention teacher congratulated Fierce Fox and I, handing her the medallion.

"Uh... and why exactly is that a good thing?" Nate asked, peeking out from the bush. He stared at Fierce Fox, blushing again. "Oh, hey Fierce Fox... sorry I couldn't split the money for you..."

Suddenly, I began to fade, due to Fierce Fox earning the medallion.

"Time to go," Fierce Fox said, walking away.

"NO, FIERCE FOX!" Nate sobbed. "DON'T LEAVE MEEEE!"

I sighed. _Until next time…_


	12. Astro Knights

Marcus gave me a look as I made my way into the library, brows knitted together. He was seated at the computer desk, legs crossed.

"You okay?" he asked, looking up from the computer. "You look tired."

I looked away, clasping my hands together. "I'm fine… just didn't sleep well."

Marcus raised a brow, grinning. "What, been playing too much Poptropica?"

"You could say that…" I chuckled, anxiously.

Ironically enough, Poptropica was the last thing I wanted to be thinking about. Astro Knights was next; an island I had been dreading since the start.

"Hey, I'll cut you some slack," Marcus tipped his hat. "I've been a brony for way too many years now. Us nerds gotta stick together, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, right."

 _Why is he being so nice to me…?_ I thought. _Is this an act, or…?_

"Aw, don't look so guilty," he shrugged, patting my shoulder. "You aren't as bad as they say."

"What do they say about me?" I asked.

Marcus chewed his lip. "I don't think you'd want to know, man."

I reached out a hand. "I…" I trailed off. He was right. It most likely wasn't something I wanted to know; I had plenty to worry about already.

* * *

As I walked out of the library, huddling my books with my crutch underarm, Louisa passed me with a grin. Chrissi wasn't there, thank the gods.

"Hey, Alice," Louisa nodded at me.

"Uh, h-hey," I waved back.

"Excited for class?" she asked.

"Not particularly…" I uttered. "I'm real tired of algebra."

Louisa laughed, patting my shoulder.

"We should hang out together sometime," she told me.

"Huh, r-really?" I stammered.

She nodded. "Yeah. You're fun, Alice."

I gazed at my shoes. "Oh, uh… well, sure, if you want to."

Louisa nodded. "Of course! Get back to me."

She left me alone in the hallway, a rare smile blooming on my face.

_Am I… am I really making friends…?_

* * *

Fierce Fox and I arrived on Astro Knights, a medieval-ages inspired island. The background had many lush green mountains and trees, and the sun shone down on us. A stone-brick museum was ahead of me, and ahead of that was a rocket-shaped statue, water coming out the exhaust. I rushed over to the rocket, standing on its platform. Something shiny was at my feet. It was a golden coin. I dipped my hand into the water, pulling it out.

I returned to Fierce Fox, and led her into the museum, which looked like a house. Well, that was because it was the former house of Mordred, or Binary Bard. There were plump, green chairs, tables with dusty books, and cobwebs everywhere I turned.

A guy with a purple hat and ginger beard stopped us from taking a single step.

"Admission is one gold coin," he told us. "Come back when you can pay! You can take this pamphlet, though."

He handed me a pamphlet about the museum. I returned the favour by giving him the golden coin.

He grinned. "Thank you. Feel free to look around."

I nodded, then nudged Fierce Fox, pointing my finger at an aged pile of books. She gave them a weird look, walking over to them.

The man cleared his throat. "Sorry, the books must stay exactly as they are! I guess you can have this old library slip, though."

He handed me an old library slip. I gestured for Fierce Fox to follow me outside, which she did.

"Ready to visit the castle?" I asked, with a grin. "I'll explain the island on the way."

Fierce Fox nodded, and we began our walk.

"So, there's this guy called Mordred, or Binary Bard, who kidnapped the princess of the castle here, and took her to outer space," I explained. "Our job is to rescue her, and then we become knights. Oh, and, uh, we also have to stop Mordred from taking over the galaxy."

"I see," Fierce Fox replied, smoke twirling behind her. "Outer space? What, why? What's this Mordred guy's problem?"

I shrugged. "The princess was abducted by aliens, who took her to Mordred. Mordred was banished away from here a long time ago, and the princess joined a group loyal to his teachings."

Fierce Fox nodded. "Alright. I get it." She shifted her glance forwards. "Is that where we're going?"

The castle… well, what was left of the castle stood there, shivering. Pieces of cobblestone littered the grass, smoke trailed into the sky, and I saw a flashing UFO crushed up on the floor. We opened the broken door, entering the castle.

Inside was a bit better than outside, since the stone stairs were still intact, although crumbs of broken wall were lying around. I climbed up a few flights of stairs, getting into the throne room, Fierce Fox behind me.

The throne room had parts of the wall missing, flags torn apart, and smoke trailing around. Fierce Fox and I approached the king and the queen, who were standing near their grand and golden thrones. In the middle was a smaller throne, which I inferred belonged to the princess.

"Ah," the queen gazed at me. "So you are the one that they were talking about."

I raised my brow. "Huh?"

The queen smiled gently. "It seems you don't know, but unfortunately I do not think I can tell you. Someone else must. But I will say… be careful. Now, I believe you are after these?"

She held out the coordinates. I didn't even know what to say, so I just took the coordinates.

"What are you going on about?" Fierce Fox asked the queen. "The… the prophecy?"

The queen shook her head. "I really can't tell you. But I have faith that you two can find the princess."

"Can't tell us?" Fierce Fox growled. "It concerns our lives!"

"Um, I think it's time to go," I grabbed her arm, gently leading her out of the throne room. She glowered.

"Why'd you lead me away?" she asked. "That vague crap concerns both of us!"

"You were going to cause a scene," I told her. "We don't want to start drama, right…?"

"So you don't care about what they're saying, Alice?!" Fierce Fox leaned towards me, making me stumble back.

"No, no, I mean…" Cold, icky sweat dripped down my back. "I mean, I mean…"

"This is a team effort," Fierce Fox pointed her lightning staff at me. "We make decisions on things like that together. Understand?"

I trembled, using the wall to help me stand. "I… I understand. I know… I know I need to do better."

Fierce Fox crossed her arms. "Fine. What's next? We need to get some answers."

After some hunting around the castle, gathering some manure and old cheese, we made our way to the windmill. I reached out for Fierce Fox's arm.

"Y'know, I'm scared as well..." I told her. "Things are getting weird in my world, too… but I don't think we should be going after people."

Fierce Fox bared her teeth. "What do we do, then? Just stand there and look pretty?" She crossed her arms. "And I'm _not_ scared."

"We… we need to be patient, and we'll find a way," I told her. "Go spin the windmill around a few times until the roof opens. When it does that, go into the roof and use this manure on the metal platform thingy." I handed her the disgusting manure. "I'm going inside."

While she hopped off, I spotted a ladder, near a great sea of mud. On the top part of the ladder was a rope, which I grabbed. Then I headed inside the windmill. I jumped up onto a wooden platform, where a gothic-looking woman was waiting.

After gathering a secret code from her, Fierce Fox and I met outside. We figured out some more stuff; she was going to the princess' room, and I… I was going to visit a secret order.

I stood in front of the rocket statue. On its stand was a plate, with stone, cosmic symbols. I pressed them in the correct order, and it opened up a secret passage.

I entered said passage, which was the headquarters for the Mordred fan club. It had a big statue of Mordred, many faded posters on the dirt walls and people dressed in purple cloaks. I approached the guy at the end of the cue.

"We found this key in Mordred's house, but we don't know what it goes to!" he cried.

The key flew into my inventory, and thankfully, I did know where it went to. I exited the HQ and rushed back to the entrance of the castle.

Fierce Fox, who saw me, trailed after me. I was headed straight for the haystacks, near the guy that gave me the manure.

When I finally got to them, I shoved them apart, revealing a hidden door. I used the key, which opened the door. Fierce Fox followed me inside.

It was no doubt Mordred's room; I noted all the invention blueprints on the dirt walls. Plastic stars dangled from the sky, and paper was littered everywhere. On a little tree-stump birdhouse was a robotic owl - more specifically, Merlin.

I tapped him with my index finger, causing him to flutter his mechanical wings and hover in the sky and out of the room.

"Now," I faced Fierce Fox. "Use that mechanical mouse you have to catch him."

I pointed upwards, which was where she headed. Meanwhile, I rushed to the wall of the room and shoved it. It crumbled, then exploded like TNT, creating a little passage.

Fierce Fox returned, after befriending Merlin. The friendly owl floated behind her. Her, Merlin and myself crawled through the passage, which led into the castle's jail.

A robot was hovering around there. It spotted us, its large green eye flashing red. It self destructed, launching a power rod to the other side. I told Fierce Fox to get Merlin to grab it for us, and then I left them be.

I did not stop running until I arrived back onto the mill hill. The platform thing, which Fierce Fox had activated and was formerly inside the mill's attic, was waiting near the ladder. I gazed at it, watching it gently hover. Fierce Fox's words re-surfaced in my mind.

_This is a term effort…_

_Is it, though?_ I thought. _But I couldn't let her go out of control… and it's not like she doesn't have any secrets…_

Fierce Fox and Merlin arrived, so the both of us got on the floating platform. Then, we rode together on the awfully speedy platform, zooming over the mud. A UFO was laying in the mud, completely lifeless.

Using the power rod Fierce Fox had given me, I placed it into the engine. Then, using the X and Y dials, I rotated them to the exact coordinates. The ship began to rumble.

And before I could utter another word, we took off.

* * *

For the first time in forever, I got to see the Poptropica planet.. In real life, not on my crappy laptop screen. Space was fantastical, the sky a beautiful black, stars twinkling. I could've stared at it forever…

Suddenly, the engine buzzed, and we were suddenly flung backwards onto the Pewter Moon.

"Dramatic entrance, check." I sighed, as we emerged out of the smoking UFO.

Despite being on the moon, we could breath quite well. The moon had... well, a moon-like surface, inhabited by green-skinned people with alien-attene. There were large, metal structures in the background, and in the foreground.

Ahead of us was another giant building, made out of metal; the place we needed to go.

I bent my knees and sprung into the air, almost flying. Then I remembered the lack of gravity - we were on the moon, after all. Fierce Fox bounded after me.

We entered the metal building, which sort of reminded me of a rocket. Inside was full of rocket parts, spanners, screwdrivers, and more all hanging on a baby blue wallpaper. I approached the cashier; an alien, of course.

"Welcome to AstroZone!" he greeted. "How can I help you?"

"How can we get off this planet?" I asked.

"Tell you what…" the cashier made a face. "Leave me your ship for scrap, and you can build a new one on the holopad."

"Great!" I grinned. "Thanks!"

I left the shop, Fierce Fox following me.

I turned to smile at her. "Hey, you can design the ship if you want."

I led her to the holopad, which was a giant metal pad, with a whirring engine. A floating, blue, grid-screen was near my head.

I turned to Fierce Fox. "Knock yourself out. Pro tip: speed is better because it's faster."

I held up my hands and trotted backwards, grinning. Fierce Fox faced the screen and worked her magic.

Then, right before my eyes, a tall, lean egg-shaped ship appeared on the platgorm. It had navy blue shark-fin wings, a baby blue body, and a few small, glass windows.

I clapped my hands. "Nice job." I patted Fierce Fox on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go inside."

We entered the ship, which was surprisingly large and complex. A purple computer with a green screen stood in all its glory, with a glowing keypad full of buttons. I pulled a lever, and the engine rumbled. We started to lift into the air, leaving the moon behind.

Space was still astounding; I tried not to get distracted by the twinkling stars. Instead, I focused on driving the ship, despite never driving one before - heck, I hadn't even driven a _car_ before.

Our little blue ship drove in front of the sun; a giant, glowing golden ball. Suddenly, circular shaped aliens firing red balls charged towards us. I swerved out of their way, our ship puffing out steam.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the Jungle Planet, which was a glowing green and pink sphere.

We docked the planet before we could get annihilated by aliens. The Jungle Planet was a fascinating, robotic jungle-like planet, with large, rusty brown trees. We were docked on one, in fact.

The two of us jumped down, landing on the soft green grass. Humongous, robotic flowers towered above us.

However, my eye was set on the middle of the room - a laser, with a green patterned design was shimmering in the light. I ran over and grabbed it, feeling relief knowing that we had a weapon at last: the laser lance.

Then, we used the giant flowers - which were actually springs - to leap back up to where the ship was docked.

Ahead of our white platform was a series of moving platforms, connected to the robotic, green leaves and swinging ropes. Caterpillars, with electrifying fangs, were hanging from the leaves.

I climbed onto the first platform, Fierce Fox behind me. It reached up to the second platform, so I did a semi-jump across, avoiding the caterpillar. I grabbed onto Fierce Fox's t-shirt, so she didn't fall to her demise.

Eventually we made it past those and to the next section. A green knight was standing on the white, metal platform. Behind him were large, blue eggs with red dots, that opened and closed, revealing robotic phoenixes.

"Something or someone is being held in that cage," the knight told us. "It may be the princess! Use the laser lance to cut open the cage!"

And so we ducked under the eggs. I held out a hand to stop Fierce Fox when we were at the last egg. Then, I grabbed her arm and hopped up, just as the phoenix peaked out.

With a painful jab, we were thrown up to the golden cage, which held a pegasus. I used the laser lance, which easily sliced open the cage.

"Look out!" the knight cried. "The Mother Phoenix is coming!"

I climbed onto the pegasus, extending a hand to help Fierce Fox on board. The pegasus soared into the grey, stormy sky, Fierce Fox in front, me on the back of the horse. Fierce Fox was wielding the laser lance, which let off a green glow.

"Okay!" I yelled, glancing apprehensively at a storm cloud. "Avoid the storm clouds, charge the laser lance up, avoid the yellow bug things, and most importantly, shoot the bird missiles!"

The horse ducked down, away from the storm cloud. A cloud of yellow, firefly-like bugs charged towards us. Fierce Fox shot a laser, killing them all in one go. She charged up her laser again, just as a bird missile came right towards us. She shot the laser, demolishing it.

Then it was back to avoiding the bugs and clouds. Again, Fierce Fox charged up her laser, as we ducked away from a cloud. A missile began to approach us, which Fierce Fox speedily shot another laser at, destroying it instantly.

More bugs began to swirl nearby us, but we dodged them. Fierce Fox shot yet another laser, decimating another missile.

The last of the bugs and clouds vanished, and there was nothing in the air with us for a few moments. Until the mother phoenix arrived.

She had robotic, flame-coloured feathers, and missiles attached to her wings. She roared, ready to shoot her missiles. However, Fierce Fox shot a laser before such a thing could happen. The mother phoenix flashed red and vanished out of sight.

Fierce Fox charged up the laser, just as she suddenly returned. We shot the second laser, making the mother phoenix fall again. We grinned and shared a high-five.

Then, before anyone could even blink, the Mother Phoenix appeared behind us. She glared straight at me and shot one of her bird missiles.

Something crashed into my head; my vision blurred. Then, with my weakened body, I fell off the pegasus, and towards the ground.

My vision was going blurry, and the world was turning black. I could hear faint muttering below me, like people waiting to catch me, or it was my imagination.

I heard a scream… then everything went black.

...

There was nothingness around me. Eerie, empty, lifeless. Then… a light.

There was someone standing in front of me, but I couldn't recognise them. They shook their head. From the crashing of the waves, I could tell… that person had washed up on a beach somewhere.

" _Where am I…?_ " they asked. Their voice - _her_ voice - was familiar, but from where?

The girl got up, looking around. She walked away from the beach, approaching a grassy path. Next to her were old, Greek style buildings.

" _What's going on…?_ " she trembled.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning. The girl screamed, falling over. A glowing, illuminated figure stood in front of her.

" _ **MORTAL… YOU ARE NOT FROM THIS WORLD, ARE YOU?**_ "

Before the girl could respond, my vision changed. I was back in the void again. A figure was in front of me, glowing gold. I blinked, straining my eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked, stepping back. "What's going on?"

" _Fear not, Alice,_ " the figure replied; a feminine, soothing voice. " _You are still alive. However, I must warn you to be careful._ "

"Why?" I asked. "What's going on? Who are you? Where am I?"

" _You will see who I am in the future_ ," the voice replied. " _Where are you? You are nowhere but your conscious, child. You will awaken shortly. But before you do, I have a message._ " She cleared her throat. " _Be careful who you trust, may they be from your world or Poptropica. Watch your step, too - traps can be hidden anywhere._ "

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. A bright light flashed in front of my eyes. Everything began to vanish.

" _Fear not,_ " she told me. " _I am watching over you. Stay with your Poptropican. She knows more._ "

"WAIT!" I cried. "I-"

And then I was gone.

* * *

"Alice! You're awake!"

Fierce Fox was standing over me, as well as the green knight. I blinked my eyes a few times, head pounding.

"What happened?" I asked, taking in my surroundings, which was the ship.

"You were knocked unconscious," Fierce Fox told me. "So this knight and I brought you here. But you're okay now." She almost seemed… concerned. My heart warmed a little.

I got to my feet, feeling my strength return. It didn't even feel like I had been knocked out. I guess I had Poptropica physics to blame… or, rather, thank.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I replied, trying to bring myself back to reality. "Let's... complete the rest of the island... and... maybe forget this ever happened."

I trotted over to the rocket, and pulled the lever. We left the jungle planet, into the deep, dark space sky.

"You mentioned a prophecy before," I looked at Fierce Fox.

"Let's focus on finishing the island, huh?" she grumbled, looking away.

"Now who's avoiding questions?" I teased.

"Listen," Fierce Fox bit her lip. "I can't… I just don't wanna talk about it now. Okay?"

"I thought we were a team," I replied. "I thought you _wanted_ answers."

"We are," Fierce Fox huffed. "But… you don't need to know about it yet. I want us to be safe… and _it_ is anything but safe."

I grimaced. "Alright. As long as you tell me at some point."

She nodded, expression darkening. "Of course."

* * *

We were standing on a rock platform, completely surrounded by lava. Platforms were being ejected into the air by the boiling hot lava. Neatly, I leaped onto the first platform, rising into the air. Fierce Fox followed behind me, as I continued to jump.

After quite a series of hopping across platforms, we made it to the entrance of the rocky, lava-filled volcano. We climbed inside.

It was like a vent in there, however instead of dust and metal walls there were charcoal-black walls and hot, smoky draft blowing through the air.

I grabbed Fierce Fox's shirt and pulled her into an open crevice, avoiding the draft. Once it was clear, I dragged Fierce Fox and myself out of the crevice and pulled us through the rest of the way. Fierce Fox shook me off halfway and just followed me.

Eventually we got past the draft section and arrived at the bottom layer, where a monster made out of circular, brown rocks and googly eyes was rolling around. With a mighty bending of my knees, I managed to get over it. Fierce Fox rushed after me. Ahead of us was the red knight.

"What should we do?" I asked him.

"I believe the princess is being held captive there!" The knight cried frantically. "The beast is too strong for me. Please, take my arrow and slay the beast!"

An ice arrow, cold to the touch (well, duh) flew into my inventory. I nodded, then Fierce Fox followed me to the next area. The next area had a fiery, orange background with some old metal poles in the background.

Chains hung from the ceiling, and the floor was an unstable metal bridge. A huge, green robot dragon crashed around, creating a ruckus.

"Okay!" I cried, as I felt myself warming up. "Climb across those hanging chains, then get onto the dragon. A lever will be underneath it - you need to pull that." I held up my hand. "Oh, and watch out for stalactites."

I took a few steps back, while Fierce Fox swiftly leaped from chain to chain, unlike I ever could. Trust me, I was not doing that. It had been hard enough playing it on my laptop.

The dragon roared at me, revealing its robotic fangs. Suddenly, it froze, becoming as still as a statue. I chucked the ice arrow like a javelin; it landed in the dragon's mouth.

It bellowed, then furiously hopped up and down, creating an earthquake.

Fierce Fox rope-jumped (that's what I called it) across the chains. The dragon glared straight at me, sending a shiver down my spine. It hopped up and down, forcing me to lose my balance. I bent my knees, trying to keep standing.

Suddenly, the dragon froze up again, its mouth ajar. I shot another arrow into the dragon's mouth, enraging it further. It continued to pound on the unstable ground, again making me wobble.

I faced Fierce Fox. "One more time!"

She did said thing, hopping across the ropes. The dragon was jumping more than ever, pretty much set on my demise. I furiously clung to the shaking metal ground, praying that I wouldn't die. Then, for the final time, the dragon froze.

With my dizzy head, I shot the arrow; it exploded the dragon's mouth. Sweat was drenched down my back, and only then I realized my temperature had risen to an unhealthy level.

I felt the floor cracking beneath my feet, and I waddled backwards.

The lava was right behind my head; the place where the dragon had met its own demise. I wanted to scream, but the heat was overwhelming.

 _It's over_ … I thought.

Suddenly, a hand clamped onto mine and pulled me up. With athlete strength, Fierce Fox helped me escape the fiery volcano, with nothing but faint tears in my eyes.

* * *

"You alright?" Fierce Fox asked, once we were back on the ship. I nodded, then shook my head.

What had happened? Had I passed out again? Astro Knights was a difficult island, but I never thought I would collapse from playing it.

"I'm okay," I stammered. "I don't think fire and me mix well." I turned to the control panel, Fierce Fox with a raised brow. "Come on, it's time to go to the Ice Planet. We have some... sharks to deal with."

I launched our ship into the sky, flying through the breath-taking space sky. After a few minutes of peaceful flying, we arrived at the Ice Planet, where space sharks were roaming around. The ship budged up near them, grabbing their attention.

They followed us around, treating space like the sea. I swerved the ship, proud with my oddly impressive piloting skills. Especially when I led them to the black hole.

I ried my hardest not to get sucked in, though it required all the effort I could shove on the gas. The space sharks, thank goodness, were successfully sucked away, allowing us to return to the ice planet.

The ice planet, like the name, was made completely out of ice. A sea of ice was holding large ice platforms, which were covered in snow. Fierce Fox and I leaped across the smaller, bobbing ice platforms, our feet slipping.

Robot piranhas nipped at our toes, but we avoided them. We got onto the larger ice platform, which led to a slippery ice mountain. The two of us managed to hike it, despite how stupidly slippery it was.

The blue knight was waiting on the peak. Fierce Fox and I approached him.

"Can you help us?" I asked, folding my arms from the cold.

"Yes!" he cheered. "Take this shield and defeat the beast!"

A golden force shield popped into my inventory. Suddenly, a snow-white tiger-copter flew up before us, with beady yellow eyes and whirling blades.

Fierce Fox and I stayed under the shield, as it began to shoot rock-hard snowballs at us. They bounded off the shield, the occasional one landing straight on the chopper. It roared and flashed red, then began to shoot missiles, while our shield charged.

We ran to the side, waiting for the shield to finish charging. Once it did, the both of us left the corner, as the helicopter started shooting snowballs again.

They deflected off the shield, while at the same time destroying it. Another one yet again hit the tiger-copter, provoking it to come down and get us. We avoided it, of course, and went to recharge the shield.

I smiled at Fierce Fox, preparing for the final attack. The tiger-copter flung out the stupid snowballs again, right at us. We flung them back, destroying the tiger-copter.

It roared and vanished off into the distance, making me thankful that I didn't collapse again.

"The princess is not here!" the blue knight cried. "Two other knights set out to find the princess. Perhaps one of them has found her!" He walked over to us. "I will accompany you on your quest!"

* * *

"Legend has it that there is a golden key on a large asteroid," the red knight told us. "The key opens a gateway to another galaxy!"

"Luckily I know exactly where to find that asteroid." I replied, facing the control panel.

I pulled the lever, and the engine rumbled. The ship, with my guidance, drove to a certain asteroid, with a crystal-shard shaped blue building. Fierce Fox and I climbed up the incredible crystal building, shimmering in the pale light.

There was decreased gravity, so it was easy for us to get up there. A golden key was stuck in some of the crystals, behind some text about the four knights.

"The chosen one..." Fierce Fox's eyes scanned the passage. "But who's the chosen one?"

"Probably you, considering Poptropican logic," I replied, preparing to hand Fierce Fox the weapons. "I mean, _you_ have to complete the island, not me."

I thought about all the messages, all the clues... all the connections I had been getting. I remembered the earthquake on Nabooti Island, and the person who had spoken to me while I was unconscious. … and the girl who woke up on the beach.

_What's going on here?_

Fierce Fox reached over and pulled out the sword, which didn't surprise me. However, it pulled her in before I could explain what to do. I gasped, as the portal began to close.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, grabbing onto her jacket. We zoomed in, the world disappearing with a flash of white.

* * *

I dropped down from the sky and arrived at a blue-brick, medieval castle. No one was outside, not even Binary Bard disguised as the princess.

"Fierce Fox?" I asked, looking around. But she was nowhere in sight.

_Did the Binary Bard take her?_

The castle door was ajar, so I entered, getting chills up my spine. The inside had a lush, red carpet and murals on the walls that shimmered gently against the cream, stone walls.

I heard a scream from an elevated metal platform. My eyes widened in horror when I saw Fierce Fox and the princess, captured behind a green shield.

"Ah, Alice!" a giant, rather scary-looking robot boomed. "You have finally arrived!" It had sharp green swords in its hands, and tech all through its body.

The owner of the robot grinned from inside. "It's about time!"

"Binary Bard!" I commanded, with trickles of anger. "Let them go!"

"Not until I have you first!" Binary Bard cackled, the huge robot rumbling towards me. It swung its green blades. I gasped and rushed out of the way, heart hammering.

_Stay calm, stay calm, I can do this…_

I led the Binary Bard robot under the captured Poptropicans' cage. Then, I jumped up him, ready to free my friends.

"NO!" Binary Bard cried, suddenly shooting me down with a laser; pain shocked my body.

I grumbled, falling on my butt. I quickly got to my feet, just as Binary Bard hurdled straight for me. I rolled out of the way from his swords, like you see in movies.

Bending my knees, I climbed up him again and onto the cage. I soared across the sky and onto the chandelier. Binary Bard growled and shot a laser, just as I jumped out of the way. He destroyed the chandelier; it landed on him, smashing his robot.

Smirking, I made clenched fists as Binary Bard came for me again, swinging his swords. Somehow, I managed to dodge them all. I flipped up onto Binary Bard's body, then leaped up to the cage again.

From there, I got to the second chandelier, just as Binary Bard appeared underneath me. He shot it again; it landed on him. His robot began to fall apart.

"NO!" he boomed, scrambling out of his crackling robot. He grabbed me by the front of my shirt. "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!" As well as me, he picked up the powerful green orb. "HE WILL SURELY BE PLEASED WITH ME!"

"Who?!" I repeated, shaking in fear.

"Not today!" the princess suddenly squawked. She leaped down from the cage and karate-kicked Binary Bard in the chest, sending him flying across the carpet. She stood protectively in front of the orb, just as Fierce Fox climbed down.

The princess smiled at me. "Thank you both for saving me!" she said. "Mordred has deceived us all - and thankfully hasn't gotten his hands on you, Alice. Now that we have the orb back, power will be restored to Arturus and Mordred will be trapped here forever."

"Yeah..." I said, my heart thumping. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

Fierce Fox and I were requested to the castle by the king and queen.

"So Mordred was behind all of this!" the king declared, as we stood in the throne room. "I should've known." He faced Fierce Fox and I. "For your valiance, both of you, you shall be knighted as Lady Fox and Lady Alice of Arturus!"

The medallion glowed around Fierce Fox's neck, as my vision turned white. The queen gazed at me and winked.

_Huh…?_

Going home was almost a relief. I slumped over in my bed.

_What is going on? Who are these people? And who was that girl? I need to figure this out, pronto…_


	13. Counterfeit

Fierce Fox and myself arrived on Counterfeit Island. We landed in a garden, with neatly trimmed bushes, lush green gas, polished footpaths, and a statue of a Poptropican pampering herself. Fierce Fox followed me past all of this to Downtown.

We entered a store called Bobo's Clown store. It was a store filled with many bright plastic hats, clothing items and other over-saturated nonsense.

I grabbed a green balloon, feeling slightly weightless as I clutched it in my fingers. Poptropican physics, I suppose.

"What's up with the balloon?" Fierce Fox asked.

"It's about to create one of Poptropica's greatest legends." I explained.

She made a face as she trailed after me. We arrived at the Countryside, which, as you can probably guess, was a grassy land full of trees. Underneath some of the trees were two kids. I handed the balloon to the boy in front.

"Here you go, kid." I said.

He grabbed the balloon; it suddenly lifted him high into the sky. The girl next to him rushed off.

"Uh..." Fierce Fox stared at me. I chuckled.

"Balloon Boy," I explained. "Come on. We've got some trash to dig through."

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. I sighed and led her back to Downtown, to the outside of one of the grey apartments. A trash can had its lid slightly ajar. Now, I knew that I wouldn't get sick by sticking my hands in there (thanks Poptropican physics), but I still didn't like the thought. So I made Fierce Fox do it for me.

She managed to snatch two tickets from the revolting mess. She was intrigued at first, but then I explained that one of the tickets had to go to a tourist. (I swear I saw someone hanging out in the trash can, too…)

"Really?" Fierce Fox complained, folding her arms. "We gotta give one away?"

I patted her shoulder. "Never mind. The tour is pretty boring anyway, you won't be missing much."

Fierce Fox followed me into the 'Web Browser Internet Cafe'. A guy outside the building was talking about Balloon Boy, which made me wink at Fierce Fox. The cafe itself had brown walls, brown chairs and tables, and a dirty white floor. Coffee cups were printed on the wallpaper. A tourist was standing near a computer on a desk.

I approached him, holding out the tickets, expecting him to take one. But he did something I didn't expect.

He grinned at us and said, "You two keep the ticket, no problem! I'd hate to break a duo up."

"Wha…" I trailed off. "Are you sure? This is your ticket, right?"

"I insist!" he waved a hand. "Go! You'd make for a great couple, anyway."

My face heated up and Fierce Fox looked away.

"Yeah… no," Fierce Fox grabbed my arm. "We're just accomplices."

Once we got out, Fierce Fox gazed over my face.

"What's up?" she asked.

"He's supposed to take one ticket," I told her.

"What's the big deal?" Fierce Fox asked. "It's just some tickets."

"No, it means…" I paled. "It means we're changing the game."

* * *

We got to the front of the Underground Tour. Basically it looked like a hill with a metal gate, and broken pillars surrounding it. A lady with a green beret was standing outside it. I handed her the tickets.

" _Bonjour_!" she greeted. "When you're ready to start the tour, just ahead inside."

We did such thing, entering the tunnel. The walls were made out of pale cobblestone, broken pillars and tombs. Spray painted skulls were on the walls, as well as metal pattern designs. It was like a mild version of the Underworld from Mythology Island.

The two of us climbed down a few ropes and jumped over stone walls and platforms. We eventually reached a dome-shaped room, with skulls underneath it. I instructed Fierce Fox to slither up a hanging electric light, and grab a piece of paper hanging off a wire. She did such thing. It was added to her inventory, which was for a puzzle later on. (And by the way, we didn't pay any attention to the tour, since it was a snoozefest.)

After that we exited. The exit, however, was outside a sewer underneath a harbour. A shady-looking guy was waiting outside for us. I could see a scar under his sunglasses, and shadows covered half of his face.

"Psst," he said. "Come here."

Fierce Fox and myself approached him.

He scanned the area nearby, then looked at me. "You're that... girl from another world or something, right?"

I jumped back. "Wh-wha… how do you know that?!"

He kept his voice to a whisper. "I'm not really supposed to tell you. That's another person's job. But I did wanna say stick with your friend over there - things are getting more dangerous. Anyway, I think you should know what to do now."

"Please just tell me what's going on here," I pleaded. "How do you know about me?!"

The man tilted his head. "Hmm… y'know what, meet me at the museum tonight, after hours, near the Scream. Maybe I can tell you some tidbits."

"... I don't trust you," I replied.

"I know," he adjusted his hat. "You know who I'm affiliated with. But I'm not working for her anymore. I want to help you."

Fierce Fox and I gazed at each other.

"Your little friend here could surely kick me to high hell if I tried anything," the man assured me. "And besides, who else is going to give you any answers?"

We stared at each other, long and hard.

I sighed, biting my lip. "Fine. We'll meet at the museum tonight."

* * *

After grabbing a piece of paper on a rock lying on the sand, Fierce Fox followed me past some old boats on the dock.

"So," she questioned, holding her arms. "What was all that about?"

"I honestly don't know," I admitted. "I really don't trust that guy. But we don't have anything else to go off on. He knows about me."

By then, we had reached the museum, which had a great, dome roof made out of marble. With my direction, Fierce Fox climbed up to the roof and grabbed another piece of paper. Then, the two of us went to the grand, glass doors. A woman with straight black hair stared at me. I could tell she knew who I was... and I knew who she was.

I urged Fierce Fox inside.

We spent the next five or so minutes moving paintings around to become security guards together. Interesting experience to have with your Poptropican, I must say. The assistant curator was impressed and allowed us into the Forgery Detection Lab for our training.

The Forgery Detection stage was easy, for me at least. I had to help Fierce Fox and give her all the answers. Which was what I did, anyway. It was actually kind of fun, and sort of reminded me of my science classes. Especially the part where we tested paint samples. I found that more fun than I thought I would.

We both got the job successfully, and the assistant curator handed us keys to the storage room. To get there, we had to go into the statue room. The statues were perfectly sculpted, looking like they belonged on Mythology Island. However, we didn't have time to gawk at the statues. We went to the supply room, which unfortunately was much less fancy than the statue room. However, it did have a piece of paper, so we got that.

* * *

Cut to the evening. Fierce Fox and I snuck back into the Underground tunnel. It was pretty easy to hop through the tunnel, and using the complete picture thanks to all the pieces of paper, we managed to leave the tunnel through a drain.

The tunnel's exit took us to the supply room in the museum. It was almost pitch black, as my eyes scanned my surroundings. I used my key to click open the door. It led us into a corridor, where a guard was roaming around outside. Fierce Fox and I waited with baited breath.

After sneaking past the guard, we got back into the statue room. However, little red lasers were sprinkling down from the ceiling. We avoided them by hiding behind the statues, which was a popular thing shared between Poptropica Islands. Once we passed that, we got into the main art archive.

I spotted 'The Scream' up ahead… and I knew it was the thing that was going to get us busted.

"Where's that man?" Fierce Fox grumbled. "Isn't he supposed to be here?"

"I bet he's trying to get us busted," I told her. "That, or he hasn't come yet."

We waited for a few moments. With slow, cautious movements, I approached the Scream. No sign of the man.

 _I knew it_ , I thought. _He's not-_

"Hey."

The whisper made me perk up. Hiding behind a potted fern was the shady man. Fierce Fox joined my side, glowering at him.

"Nice to see you've come," she hissed.

"Please," I bowed my head. "Give us some answers, would you?"

The man breathed out. "Very well. Ahem. Listen, it's about… a prophecy."

"Huh?" I asked.

"... a prophecy that you're going to fail." He turned away, pressing a button on the wall. The alarms went off. The whole museum flashed bright red.

"HEY!" Fierce Fox growled, holding out her staff. "YOU-"

She was interrupted by a wave of police racing in. I sighed.

_We're done for…_

* * *

The next morning, we woke up in a jail cell. The black-haired woman - also known as the investigator - was watching me with sharp eyes. Let's just say it wasn't pleasant.

The investigator smiled sweetly at us. "Don't worry, I know you're both innocent. But I need to have a little conversation with Miss Manchester. Miss Fierce Fox, you can go."

I gulped and faced Fierce Fox, lowering my voice. "Go back to the museum and to the security office. Go to the computer and take a picture of the shadowy man. Then go to the Jazz cafe and chase after the man. Then come back for me."

Fierce Fox raised her brow. "That guy said we need to stick together or whatever."

"That's what he's expecting," I replied. "And you really want to trust him after that?"

Fierce Fox scowled. "You're right. I'll kill that man." She dashed off, leaving the investigator and I alone. Chills went down my spine.

"Well," the investigator took a step towards me. "If it isn't Alice, the girl from another world."

"What's going on?!" I demanded, clenching my fists. "How do you know about me?! Who told

you?!"

"Patience, Alice," the investigator said, as she grew nearer. I couldn't help but take a step back. "Your questions will be answered sooner or later."

"By whom?" I demanded, with a scowl.

"I'm not going to tell you," she replied, circling me like a shark. "Oh, what a shame. Stuck with all these questions, eh?"

I felt something in me I hadn't felt for a while. A spark of… something burning hot. A spark of RAGE.

"No!" I spat. "Tell me now! I don't like all of these unanswered questions! I don't like what's going on! What's happening?!"

The investigator chuckled. "Oh, Alice. Don't get so _grumpy_." She grinned. "Hm, because I feel nice, I'm going to say there are two sides of the prophecy. Your side, and the other side."

"What?!" I cried, biting my lip.

"And unfortunately," the investigator gripped my shoulders. "I'm not on your side." Then she hit me over the head. Everything went black.

* * *

My eyes flickered open. I was tied up - scratch that, tied up _in chains_ underground, in the Underground tunnel. All around me was darkness, and the crumbling walls of the Underground tunnel. The skulls in the walls bored into my own eyes.

_That man was right after all… Fierce Fox and I need to stay together…_

"Help!" I cried in desperation. My voice echoed into the void. "Somebody! Anybody! Help!"

But nobody heard me and nobody came to my rescue. I was trapped. Screwed. I struggled against the chains, but they wouldn't budge. My body shook.

"Help!" I yelled. "ANYONE!"

No response. I slumped over. I was all alone, hopeless.

Suddenly, I heard… grunting? Footsteps pounded along the floor, becoming more audible as they came closer to me.

It was none other than Fierce Fox, who had come to rescue me. Her lightning staff glowed in the dark. My jaw dropped.

"But how-" I spluttered. "How'd you find me?"

"I got a calling," Fierce Fox explained, raising her brow. "Like the voice."

"What…?" I asked. "But… _I'm_ your voice."

"I know," Fierce Fox began untying my chains. "I think… I think there's someone watching over us. Like a guardian angel or something."

I shrugged. "I don't know… but I _do_ know we need to stop the investigator, or should I say… the Black Widow."

"And how do we do that?" Fierce Fox asked, as my chains fell off.

"She's meant to kidnap you after you go inside her house and discover she stole the Scream," I told her. "Then, she brings her to her base of operations, and you make your way out of there."

"But…?" Fierce Fox raised a brow.

"But I know she has a secret entrance in the Web Browser cafe," I stood up. "I think it's time we paid it a visit."

* * *

And so, the two of us returned to the Web Browser cafe. At the back, my eyes spotted a part of the tiled floor that was slightly unhinged. Fierce Fox and I got close towards it, gazing at each other.

"There it is," I told her. "Let's do this."

I opened the tiled floor, revealing a passageway. And inconspicuously as possible, the two of us slid in, making our way through a passageway.

Before long, we had reached the Black Widow's base of operations: long, metal halls with symbols of black widow spiders, and piles of stolen art. Red occasionally flashed from the roof, making me hold my breath.

Guards walked around, eyes open. I hid behind a fern, Fierce Fox behind me.

"So, where's the Black Widow?" she asked me.

"In that room," I pointed to a large, sliding door. "We'll have to steal a keycard off one of the guards to get in there."

"Oh no you won't."

My whole body went cold. The Black Widow herself was standing behind us, bright red lips spread into a grin.

"Did you honestly think I wasn't expecting you?" she asked. Her guards surrounded her.

And then everything went black.

* * *

The Black Widow had tied me up in a totally different room, like a panic room. I was surrounded by thick metal, and my body was wrapped in chains again; I was practically being strangled by them.

There was no one around me. The only reassuring thing was a single light hanging from the ceiling.

"You're all mine," The Black Widow entered the room, with a wicked smile. "They couldn't catch you, but I did! You fell into my trap. I will be rewarded."

"What are you talking about?" I gasped as she grew nearer.

"Sides, Alice," she hissed. "We oppose each other, but we both want the same thing - _you_."

The leer in her eyes made me tremble.

"Sides?" I questioned. "Why do you want me?!"

"Why do you think, idiot?" The Black Widow asked menacingly. "You, in a way, are the voice. Of course we want you. You have untold powers."

"But how did you find out about me?" I demanded, struggling against the chains. "Who told you?"

"Hmm, you may or may not know them," The Black Widow replied, caressing my chin. "But for now, you are mine! You're worth as much as all the art in my gallery! HA HA HA!"

"No!" I cried.

"And there's nothing you can do about it!" Black Widow teased. "You can't stop it Alice. Nobody can!"

My stomach turned. I was sick. Sick of worry. Sick of confusion. _Literally_ sick. Danger was around me - and I still didn't understand what was going on!

"What is 'it'?" I wailed, as the Black Widow continued to circle me.

Suddenly, I heard banging on the doors. The walls groaned.

"Surrender, Black Widow!" Fierce Fox shouted. "We're calling the cops!"

"Never!" Black Widow cackled. "She's mine now!"

"Don't make us call the big guns!" the shady man cried. I raised my eyebrows.

"The 'big guns'?" I questioned, shaking my head. "Who's that?"

My head started to pound.

"Bring it on, then!" Black Widow sneered. "They'll never get to me!"

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. The walls began to shiver like jelly, and my chains were jingling. There was an earthquake, and it was coming straight for me. I wasn't sure if I was more scared of the earthquake or 'the big guns'.

"Curses!" the Black Widow complained, as the floor began to split, walls groaning. She faced the door. "You win this time, but next time you'll fall!"

Then she disappeared up a vent, where I heard her getting beat up by somebody.

_What the Hell is going on?!_

Thanks to the earthquake, the door exploded open, revealing the shady man and Fierce Fox. They rushed over and speedily untied me, sending the blood back into my arms and legs. I freely wiggled them around, before Fierce Fox clutched my arm.

"We have to go!" she ordered.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"COME ON!" Fierce Fox almost picked me up and threw me over her shoulder.

I raced along with them to escape Black Widow's lair. We dodged past falling parts of the roof, and cracks in the ground. Black Widow's crew was also escaping, and they appeared to be just as terrified as us. I noticed that a lot of the stolen art was getting covered in debris.

"What about the art?" I cried, pointing a finger at it.

"Never mind the art!" the shady man yelled. "We have to go!"

We continued shoving through falling debris, floor shaking. My heartbeat got faster and faster. Fierce Fox kept a tough grip on my arm; it seemed to be my only guide, honestly. I could barely even think.

It felt like eternity when we finally escaped Black Widow's lair. And once we did, the earthquake began to slow down. I slumped over in Fierce Fox's arms, sitting in the cafe.

On the bright side, the Black Widow had been caught by the cops and taken away… leaving me with even more questions than before.

* * *

"Did you start that earthquake?" I asked Fierce Fox, as we made our way to the museum. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Not exactly," she answered. "The shady guy told me he 'knew some people', then he... made this weird calling, and the earthquake started. Oh, and he warned me to be careful."

"But.. what is this all about?" I persisted, folding my arms. "This… prophecy stuff. Isn't that what you were telling me about?"

Fierce Fox grimaced, turning away. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get much else out of here.

I groaned. "Go get your medallion in the museum."

I gazed up at the sky, biting my lip.

_Whoever's up there, if you can hear me, please tell me what's going on. It's scaring me._

No response. I really was all alone.


	14. Reality TV

The usual happened - Fierce Fox and I landed on Reality TV island, which was probably the most run-down island we had been on. In fact, we literally landed on a revolting dumpster, which I quickly hopped off of.

Fierce Fox followed me to the front of the TV World shop, which was a little shop filled with nothing but televisions... and satellites. Signs advertising the TVs were plastered all over the glass windows. I faced Fierce Fox.

"Now," I took a deep breath, getting an odd feeling. "This island is... a little different from the others."

"How so?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I bit my lip. "Well, there's a little bit of stuff we have to do at the start... then it's mini games for the entire island. We go onto this reality show called Reality TV Island… which is kind of like a show called Survivor from my world."

"Oh, sounds easy enough." Fierce Fox crossed her arms.

"Well, unfortunately, it's more of a 'every person for themself' island," I explained, folding my fingers together. "So... we can't really work together on this. In fact, we'll be opposing each other."

"Oh..." Fierce Fox's eyes drooped. "Well… if that's the case…" She grinned. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

I stepped back. "Hold on. You won't know what you're doing."

"We'll see about that," she glowered at me.

I gazed at her, narrowing my eyes. An old feeling was churning inside me.

"You're on." I shook her hand.

* * *

TVs were placed on wooden tables, near spiky green plants. On the shiny new TVs, a video of Balloon Boy showed.

I climbed up a few of the levels, until I got to the top. A large TV was there, with a guy standing next to it.

"Try changing the channel." the guy advised. So, I did just that, and an important address - _123 STAR AVENUE HOLLYWOOD_ \- came up.

 _Gold_ , I thought. I exited the television store, walking over to Fierce Fox.

"Got the address?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Step two," Fierce Fox crossed her arms.

* * *

We headed into Mike's Market, which was a little green supermarket. I shoved some trolleys along the tiled floor, passing the icy freezer. I hopped over the Fresh Donut cupboard, and finally to the guy underneath it. He was reading a tabloid.

"Reality TV Island is on in than less than 24 hours!" he gasped. "I gotta go!"

He ran off, dropping the tabloid as he went. I picked up the tabloid and peered inside. I grabbed the contestant form out. Luckily for me, there were two in there. One for both of us. Of course, that only added more fuel to the fire.

Fierce Fox and I then headed to the motel, which was more run down than my school camp. The pale walls were cracking, and I could spot cockroaches swarming near the faded red doors. I barged into the motel office. Like everywhere else on the island, it wasn't much to look at.

I faced Fierce Fox. "Call Papa Pete's and order your pizza. Give it to Motel Room 4B. I'll be back." And like the Terminator, I left the motel, heading outside.

A pizza lady was roaming outside. I took her pizza and brought it to Room 4B, which was the room of Bucky Lucas - an infamous poptropican. Inside, Bucky leaned against the wall, mess surrounding him. He perked up when he saw us.

"You wanna get on the show, huh?" he asked, raising a bushy brow.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"Feel like I know you from somewhere," he replied, as he handed Fierce Fox and I some stamps. "Use those to mail your forms."

"You do?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Maybe you're famous or something. In that case - ouch, that's rough, buddy. I know that better than anyone."

I looked at Fierce Fox. "I… I don't think I'm famous. I'm just trying to survive."

"Heh," Bucky chuckled. "That's what they all say. But trust me, kiddo, that show ain't all it's cracked up to be."

And so we left the motel, ready to fill out our forms. My Poptropican and I glanced at each other, then at our forms. All I had to do was write a reason why I wanted to be on the show.

 _Because._.. I lifted my pen, shaking. _Because I want to help_.

That was all I wrote. Then, the two of us mailed our applications, and went to stay at the motel for the night.

* * *

The next morning, the both of us got onto the show - Reality TV Island.

A grand helicopter was waiting for us on the motel roof. So, Fierce Fox and I climbed into it, and were whisked away to Reality TV. I briefly explained to Fierce Fox all the mini games we could play, and whoever won the mini games would be safe from being voted off.

Day 1, we were brought to a tropical-forest like area, standing with a bunch of other poptropicans, including some familiar faces like Dr. Hare and Ned Noodlehead. I gazed at Fierce Fox, and gave her a nod. And then the games began.

The first event was Totem Hop, which was where you had to hop from totem to totem to avoid being dragged into the water. I stood on my wooden totem, Fierce Fox nearby. I was on the lower totems, and Fierce Fox was on the higher totems. Someone's totem wobbled next to me, and they leaped off to another totem. The totem of somebody else began to rumble, but they couldn't get away quick enough and fell off.

Then my totem began to shake. I leaped onto the totem next to me; Fierce Fox did the same thing with her totem. I shared the totem with a girl in a cowboy hat. Suddenly, it began to shake again, so I changed totems to the one above me. The girl, on the other hand, fell off. I was left alone for a little bit, so I watched a few other people fall off and get eliminated.

Soon, it was between Fierce Fox, this guy called Hip Hop and myself. Hip Hop's totem started shaking, so he hopped around like a madman, causing his downfall. Then it was Fierce Fox and I.

"May the best player win!" I cried, jumping off my totem as it began to shake. Fierce Fox missed her totem and lost, giving me immunity.

And so that was the end of Day 1. I already felt bad for Hip Hop for losing to us, and I felt even worse when he was kicked off. Oh well. Survival of the fittest.

Day 2 was Coconut Catch, which was where a monkey threw coconuts, and you had to catch them and earn points.

I stood underneath the monkey's green palm tree, as it began to chuck the coconuts. Everyone went crazy and reached out for them, scoring points. I sort of stayed near the front, grabbing the close coconuts. Fierce Fox began to copy me, which agitated me a little.

Eventually, one of the bombs got her. I chuckled, just a little.

I grabbed a bunch of coconuts, earning a three-pointer. I was getting nearer to twenty points, which was the score you needed to win. Everyone else was catching up to me, but I was still way ahead. I got a bit cocky and jumped up every five seconds, which ended up getting me bombed right in the face. Not great for my hair.

But in the end I won, and again received immunity. Fierce Fox almost got voted out, but luckily Black Widow took her place.

Day 3 was Geyser Guess, which I had no luck in winning whatsoever. It was utter luck - you had to stand over a geyser and pray that it didn't explode. I gave Fierce Fox a comforting glance as we picked our geysers next to each other. Ned Noodlehead's geyser blew up first, sending him so high that I wouldn't have been surprised if he saw Zeus or that giant from Early Poptropica.

I decided to stay on the same geyser, although Fierce Fox changed hers. The ground rumbled, and this time Betty Jetty was blasted into the air. Now it was just us, someone I didn't know and Dr. Hare.

 _Third time lucky,_ I thought as I sat down on my geyser.

Fierce Fox and Dr. Hare stood next to each other, while the other person went to the geyser closest to me. The ground shook, and I felt heat beneath my feet.

Then, a hot blast of liquid squirted me up into the air, blocking my view of anything. Once the geyser goo had cleared, the realization of loss hit me.

The good news was that Fierce Fox won instead, so she would be safe from being voted off. I prayed to any god listening that I wouldn't be voted off. Thank them, because Betty Jetty, who shot a glare at me, was voted off.

Day 4 was Balanced Diet, which I was extremely terrible at. What you had to do was balance a stick of fruit in the air, and it increasingly got harder because more fruit got placed on the stick. I wasn't able to hold on very long and lost second to last. However, Fierce Fox won again... which made me wonder how she became so good at holding fruit on a stick.

I guess I must've had better luck than I anticipated, because Ned Noodlehead was eliminated.

Though two people voted for me, so I knew there was a high chance I would be disqualified.

Day 5, the event third to last, was Hang Glider, which was where everyone flew on a hang glider and had to avoid various attacks, such as birds or volcanoes. It was just Dr. Hare, Fierce Fox, Director D and I, all versing each other.

We all swerved out of the way of a bird, who squawked. I hung around near the back, while the other two were ahead of me. A volcano was approaching, so I ascended upwards to avoid it. Fierce Fox replicated me, and Dr. Hare had a near miss, as well as Director D. A bird suddenly charged towards us, and hit Fierce Fox. I grimaced.

I continued to roam around near the back, again dodging another bird. Dr. Hare was doing the same thing, and we were neck and neck. Then, the volcano came, which knocked out Director D. I zoomed my hang glider upwards, the wind rushing through my hair. The red-hot liquid of the volcano got Dr. Hare. Immunity for me.

Day 6 came and it was Boulder Push, with only Fierce Fox, Dr. Hare and I. Director D had sadly been voted out by the three of us. Boulder Push was where you had to push a boulder faster than everyone else. I held out my arms and faced my boulder, ignoring the fear trickling down my spine.

Then I shoved and shoved, sweat pouring down my cheeks. I couldn't see how well the others were doing, since I was so darned focused on my boulder. I don't think I'd ever pushed something so hard before.

Despite all the odds, I actually won the competition, and I felt joy wash over me like warm water. Dr. Hare, unfortunately, was voted out, and left only two people - Fierce Fox and myself. The greatest competition of them all.

Day 7 was the final event, and we were forced to oppose each other. It was the Mountain Race, which was where you race up a mountain, while avoiding boulders. We stood at the starting line, and I gave her a smile.

"Good luck," I said, patting her shoulder.

"See you at the finish line," she grinned.

And the race begun. I rushed up near the front and jumped randomly. It was a rather good strategy, because I managed to hop over a lot of the boulders. I was doing decently until a rock hit me on the head. I was flung down onto the ground, my view covered in stars. Fierce Fox was now neck to neck with me. We were both randomly jumping over the boulders, still tied.

I could see the finish line, and a bunch more boulders. I hopped over another one, Fierce Fox copying me. Then, one hit her, sending her flying back. The finish line was approaching, and I knew I was going to win.

_I'm really going to beat Fierce Fox…?_

I glanced back at Fierce Fox, who was dazed. My heart stung a bit. I turned back around, only to get smacked in the face by a boulder. I fell over, a flash of red flying past me. Stars trickled around my face.

 _Dammit…_ I sighed. _You won this time, Fierce Fox…_

* * *

A shower of confetti splashed over Fierce Fox, while the show sent me home. We both climbed out of the helicopter, Fierce Fox proudly wearing her medallion.

"Good job," I patted her shoulder. I noticed a few people had gathered on the roof to see us, including Bucky Lucas in a hoodie. I couldn't help but smile, even when my screen turned white.

"See you!" I bidded farewell to Fierce Fox, feeling positive.

Then I gasped at what island was next. My favourite island - Mythology Island. It had been my dream since I was small to visit that island - and it was about to come true.

… And I couldn't be more afraid. Somehow, I knew, I was in for the long haul.


	15. Mythology

To say I was nervous was an understatement.

I was shaking at the knees, sweating all over. I was finding it very hard to focus on class. I sat at my desk, form hunched over, eyes glued to my paper. It got to a point where I didn't even notice the teacher leaving, or a looking figure behind me.

"Crashice," Chrissi's voice pierced my ears.

"What do you want…?" I trembled.

Chrissi's nails dug into my shoulder. "You stupid piece of shit. Don't play innocent with me."

I made a face. "Huh? What are you talking about…?"

"Chrissi!"

Chrissi jumped, letting me go. Louisa ran over to me, staring up at her best friend.

"Leave her alone," she told her friend.

Chrissi made a face. "But-"

"Leave her alone," Louisa repeated.

The two stared at each other. The tension was so thick I could've cut it with a knife.

"Whatever," Chrissi walked away.

I stared up at Louisa. "Uh… t-thank you."

Louisa grinned at me. "Of course. Don't worry about it."

"... why is Chrissi so mad with me…?" I asked.

Louisa shrugged. "Who knows? She gets angry easily. Don't worry about her, Alice. I'm sure things will get better for you!"

I wanted to believe her, but something seemed… off. What was it?

* * *

A lot of my exhilaration had been replaced with anxiety by the time we got onto my favourite island. However, on the contrary, I did get a rush of joy as soon as we landed on the island. The sky was a shining blue, full of puffy clouds. Greek temples surrounded us, made out of pale, crumbly stone. We landed directly next to the museum of Olympus, a grand temple itself.

I turned to Fierce Fox. "Let's go into the museum."

The museum had images on the walls, which were a cutscene of three godly brothers - Zeus, Hades and Poseidon - battling the Titans. The brothers won, and they all ruled a different part of the world. Zeus, god of the heavens, believed he could make all bow before him. The other brothers refused, so Zeus swore to make them one day.

I had only seen Zeus from behind a computer screen, and although I knew how to beat him, it seemed a little scary that I was going to meet him in real life.

After the cutscene finished, we entered the statue room, which was full of statues of the many gods. I eyed the ones we were going to meet, and then I paid special attention to Poseidon, who had a starfish on his face. I pointed to him, and Fierce Fox grabbed the starfish.

We exited after that and headed to the Grove of Temples, which was where some of the gods' temples were. Along the way, I explained to Fierce Fox about the island, and what we needed to do.

We arrived at Apollo's temple, which was a beautiful temple made of gold and cream walls. Music symbols were decorated everywhere, reminding you who was the patron.

Inside, there were golden statues of lyres and statues of the Muses, who were all cradling art-related objects. A huge picture of Apollo was in the middle, playing a lyre with a big grin. At the end of the temple, a basket of free reed pipes stood on a platform. I picked one up and let it fly into my inventory.

Then I returned to the statues, and handed my reed pipe to Fierce Fox and explained what to do. She hopped up to the statues and played her flute, creating beautiful music.

I gulped at what was next… the Apple of immortality.

For some reason, my mind drifted to Louisa and Chrissi. My body began to shake.

_Don't think about that now. Focus._

Fierce Fox followed me towards the Tree of immortality, which was surrounded by splendiferous bushland. Olive trees were planted in the pale green grass, standing next to a polished, white temple. The biggest tree I'd ever seen is stuck in the ground there, its roots twisted through the earth. Signs and statues were all around it, tempting us to eat an apple.

Fierce Fox and myself arrived at the stump. A cracked, stone staircase led into the tree. We climbed up these stairs then jumped up some wooden platforms, heading into the tree.

My feet made contact with the wooden ground, and I observed the area around me - snakes hanging from branches, sticky sap drooling from the leaves. It almost sent my heart into overdrive seeing all this in real life... _in real life..._

I grabbed onto a dazed snake's body, trying to focus. I failed; it spooked me, and I let go in fright. Fierce Fox gave me a look.

"Sorry," I said remorsefully. "Go on ahead without me. But don't talk to anyone just yet."

My Poptropican gave me a nod and hopped off. I sighed and got to my shivering feet, feeling like I had when I first got to Poptropica. I didn't know why... I didn't like it...

With my arms feeling oddly limp, I slithered up onto a snake's hanging body. With a frightful leap, I made it up onto a platform, which was covered in sticky sap. I ran over a branch, to a mushroom. My heart started racing, as I apprehensively placed a foot on it.

I almost screamed as I was flung into the sky, especially flipping in the air. I was taking step by step, as I got to the edge of another branch. A snake was hanging down, and it was waiting for me to slither up it.

Bending my knees, I crawled across the branch, nearing the snake. My heart began racing once again.

"Alice!" Fierce Fox called. "Where are you?"

Closing my eyes, I jumped, relief flowing through me when my legs and arms automatically grabbed the snake. I slithered up, got to the top, and joined Fierce Fox. She turned up her brow.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"Uh..." I pointed to a satyr, standing underneath a glowing, golden apple. "Talk to him. I'll help you find what he needs." Fierce Fox glanced at me for a moment before she faced the satyr. Then, she rushed off again, looking for the satyr's honey.

I grabbed some honey nearby. I couldn't bring myself to go any further. Fierce Fox came back, giving me a funny look.

"What's with you?" Fierce Fox asked. "You're being all…"

"I… I don't know…" I whimpered. "I'm just… just…" My throat choked up.

Fierce Fox sighed. "Alright. Just hold on a sec."

She spoke to the satyr, and he gave her an invisible path to the apple. I knew what was going to happen when she got that apple, and I was not willing to face it. So, with frantic energy pulsing through my veins, I snuck into a bush, leaves scratching my skin. Through a small peep hole I could see exactly what was happening, in case of an emergency.

Fierce Fox stomped on the branch, and the golden apple fell down. The satyr grimaced at it then vanished in a puff of smoke. Suddenly, thunder clouds popped out from everywhere, and lightning filled the sky. Power thrummed through the air, and I cowered deeper into my bush.

"Who has picked an apple of immortality?" A powerful, enraged voice demanded outside. It was none other than Zeus, god of all gods. He had a white, stormy beard, a red, flowing chiton, and carried a lightning bolt that was at least twice my size. I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.

"Um, sorry," Fierce Fox sweat-beaded. "Do you want it back?"

"I will grant you immortality," Zeus replied. "But first, you must perform a task."

He was glaring at Fierce Fox. I had a feeling he was expecting to see me. Again I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.

"And what if I refuse?" Fierce Fox questioned.

"Then all of Poptropica will feel my wrath." Zeus answered.

"Okay, then," Fierce Fox scowled. "What do I have to do?"

Zeus did not reply, and instead floated into the clouds. My visio flashed white a few times, leaving nothing behind except for a floating scroll. Fierce Fox gazed at it for a few moments; she needed the voice to tell her what to do.

However, I wanted to be completely sure Zeus wasn't around. Out of all the villains, Zeus was arguably the most dangerous. He almost got away with taking over Poptropica, _twice_. Plus, he managed to capture the other super villains and somehow get into their dreams. And since every villain knew who I was, including the queen of Arturus, Zeus absolutely knew. That thought almost made me want to go home again.

Finally, I gave myself the thumbs up and crawled out of the bush. Hesitantly, I grabbed the scroll. Fierce Fox stared at me.

"Hey, where did you go?" she asked, raising her brow.

"Mission," I replied. "We've got a mission. Let's go."

* * *

We exited the tree, when suddenly an old lady who was standing near a temple transformed into Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Thanks to Poptropica game physics, Fierce Fox was forced to talk to her. I followed after her, ignoring the lump in my throat.

Athena smiled at us, her eyes on me. She had short black hair, and wore a white chiton. A gladiator helmet sat on her head and she wielded a spear. She loomed above us - not as much as Zeus, but she was at least a head taller.

"Greetings, I am Athena, goddess of wisdom," she said, in a calm tone. "It is quite good to see you at last, Alice - we have all been waiting for you."

I raised my brow. "You have?"

Athena nodded. "Of course. You are the one they spoke of."

Her voice, I realized, sounded awfully familiar. I had heard it somewhere before…

Then it hit me.

"Wait.." I held up my hand. "You're... that voice... You're that woman who spoke to me while I was unconscious... you helped me get to Fierce Fox... you've... you've been helping me."

Athena gently smiled. "But of course. You needed that help. Especially when it is so dangerous now. But to be fair, I was intervening a little too much. Perhaps my worries got the better of me? I don't know. But I did not want the other villains to get ahold of you - bad things would come upon Poptropica if they did."

"Bad things?" I questioned. "Why does everyone want me? What's going on?"

Fierce Fox grimaced, looking away.

"It is a long story, child," Athena replied, almost disconsolately. "I do not think it's safe to tell you now, for you have a journey ahead of you. Your friend might be able to help you."

"But.." I stammered. I restrained myself from yelling at a goddess.

"Go," Athena said, gesturing Fierce Fox and I away. "You have a mission ahead."

We turned to walk away, when Athena called, "Remember, look to the olive trees if you ever need my guidance."

_If only you'd answer my questions…_

Oh well, at least there was Fierce Fox, who for a brief second, actually looked a little nervous.

* * *

Fierce Fox and I arrived at the Garden of Sphinx. It appeared like what used to be a beautiful garden, except now it was just rotting grass on stone platforms, and a dried up lake with cracked mud and pottery. A sphinx was standing on piles of broken human bones.

We needed to help the Sphinx's garden regain its beauty. And to do that, we needed to get the aqueducts working again. So, Fierce Fox climbed up the stone wall, which was made out of pipes which carried water into the lake. I wanted to jump up, but… I couldn't. What was stopping me…?

My useless self wouldn't budge, so I had to yell at Fierce Fox what to do, which seriously strained my voice. I could tell Fierce Fox wasn't satisfied with my lack of usefulness. But, she succumbed, and water flowed into the lake. The sphinx awoke.

She, I must admit, freaked me out a bit. She was quite large, and had a feathery backside. Her lips were bright red, and behind them were sharp teeth. She had red claws, connected to lion-like paws. A bun of auburn hair was twisted on her head.

"Fate awaits you," she hissed at us. I slipped behind Fierce Fox.

We took a rose from her garden, which had blossomed from the water, and was one of the five sacred objects. The next task was the Labyrinth.

Before we got into there, though, we grabbed some pomegranates, which we would use to get into Hades' realm. Then, using the reed pipe, we got past a locked door, and into the minotaur's area.

The minotaur's area was like a dungeon, and we passed a statue of the minotaur himself. The actual monster was standing at the entrance of the Labyrinth, waiting for us.

"The prophesied hero arrives at last." the minotaur rumbled, sending shivers down my spine.

"You know of me?" I asked.

"What do you desire?" he asked, in his gruff voice. He was at least twice my size, and covered in thick, brown fur. He had the figure of a human, yet was shaped like a bull. A golden ring was hooked in his snout.

"Uh... t-the r-r-ring in your nose..." I answered, staying behind Fierce Fox. "Please.."

"You may be the prophesied hero, but that does not mean you are entitled to favours," the minotaur replied, gesturing to the entrance of the labyrinth. "I only do favours for those who go through my Labyrinth."

I sighed and faced Fierce Fox. And so we trotted into the labyrinth, my hands shivering.

Athena appeared as soon as we got into the labyrinth. She gave us both a magic thread, to help us through the maze. We started walking through, golden thread trailing behind us. I jumped - well, a pathetic excuse for a jump - up the walls. Fierce Fox was way ahead of me, just like old times. Horrible old times.

"C'mon, Alice!" she called over her shoulder. I didn't move much faster. Especially when we got to sliding down the chains. Finally, we got to the first puzzle: counting the bones. For once in the entire island, I was actually helpful and did the puzzle. We continued on past that, winding through the dark and stony labyrinth.

The second challenge was the scorpion. I squealed and tried to avoid it, but it hit me, and pain surged through my body. So with much protest, Fierce Fox had to save the both of us. Thankfully, the maze part was shortly over, and we got to the final challenge: hitting the red-eyed snake.

Green snakes were peaking out of a picture of the minotaur, one of them with red, swirly eyes. I halved the picture so it would be easier to smack. It appeared on my side, so I reached out and got it. Fierce Fox did the same, and we managed to get past the stage.

The labyrinth was then finished, so we exited and returned to the minotaur.

"I can't believe you're still alive," the minotaur observed, as we walked out. "I guess you are a bit of a hero after all."

"Yeah..." I said, biting my lip. "So… may I please have the ring now?"

"It is yours." the minotaur handed it over to me, much to my relief. He gazed into my eyes, before we turned around to leave. "Be careful, young heroine. Certain people can't be trusted."

"I-I know." I replied.

We returned to the Grove of Temples, except we passed Apollo's temple, and went to the edge of the cliff, much to my anxiety.

"So..." I laced my fingers together. "Hades or Poseidon?"

"Uh..." Fierce Fox observed the temples ahead of us. "Which is which?"

I weakly smiled. "That one down there is Hades', and the blue one is Poseidon's. Personally, I prefer Poseidon's. Hades' is way creepier."

"Okay," Fierce Fox put her hands on her hips. "Poseidon's then." She kept a hand on my shoulder. "Enough slacking back. Come on."

We got to Poseidon's temple, which was made out of blue alabaster and surrounded by a pool of water. The pillars were decorated like seashells, and sea-inspired designs were on the walls. A picture of Poseidon himself was on the roof. It was quite an exquisite temple, despite the graffiti on the walls, which I saw in my world all the time. I sighed, fear tingling my nerves.

We entered the temple, which was just as stunning as the outside. A little door was at the end, next to a pillar. Fierce Fox, with my shaky orders, placed the starfish on the pillar.

The door quite literally vanished, and so we walked through into Poseidon's realm. His realm was basically a beach, with people chilling out on said beach. Everyone was sitting underneath an umbrella, enjoying the pleasant weather.

Ahead of us was Aphrodite - a goddess. She had blonde hair in a bun, roses sticking out of it. Her cheeks were covered in blush, matching her red lipstick. A pink chiton with a red cape was stretched across her body. She was carrying a mirror in her hand.

"We'll talk to Aphrodite first," I said to Fierce Fox, as she walked up to me. "When we're leaving... what she'll give us will make it easier."

The two of us approached Aphrodite, who was standing nonchalantly on the sand.

"Hello," I said politely.

"Well well well, if it isn't the infamous hero!" Aphrodite laughed, grinning at me. "Goodness, has Athena been going on about you! I half expected you to have superpowers, to be honest. But although you may be this supposedly amazing hero, I don't really believe you are. If you can prove to me you are what Athena says you are, you'll get my trust and something to help you with your mission."

"If I answer your quiz, you'll give me that mirror." I pointed to the mirror in her hand.

"Hm, you are smart!" Aphrodite raised her brow. "But I think we need more proof. You may _know_ about the quiz, but let's see if you can pass it!"

The quiz was pretty much a hangman style game involving the Greek Gods. I had done it numerous times, so I easily passed it.

Aphrodite was impressed. "Well, you've got my attention, Alice. Here you go." She handed me the mirror.

"Thank you," I dipped my head. Then I faced Fierce Fox, a stone at the pit of my stomach. "Ready to kick some sea butt?"

The swimming wasn't really the part that scared me, I discovered. Neither was grabbing the pearl from the shell. It was fighting the hydra. And it was then I really stuffed up.

We got into the Hydra's cave, and it viciously hissed at us. It was a pale, sea-green creature, with five heads with mouths full of fangs. It lunged at me straight away, which I narrowly avoided with a scream. Fierce Fox leaped into the air, as a head flung itself at her. Luckily, she just dodged it.

I took a few good steps backward. I couldn't stop shaking.

 _Come on, Alice!_ I told myself.

Suddenly, I saw Fierce Fox jump forward again. The hydra growled and bared its teeth. It was heading straight for her, its eyes blazing with fury. Fierce Fox was flung to the ground, groaning. The hydra reared above her, ready to strike again. It did, and Fierce Fox was bashed into the wall. The hydra was approaching her again.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried out.

I got to my feet, and attempted to clench my fist. But my hand felt feeble and weak, and fear made me shiver.

 _So typical of a little nothing like you, Crashice._ Chrissi's voice resurfaced in my head.

I fell backwards. Fierce Fox cried out. The hydra hissed at me.

_So very typical. All you do is mess up all the time._

I didn't know why everyone thought I was a hero.

"For crying out loud!" Fierce Fox growled. She jumped between the hydra's necks, grabbing one of its scales. She landed next to me, grabbing my arm. Together, we raced out. With the help of Aphrodite's mirror, we safely left Poseidon's realm. However, I couldn't run from Fierce Fox's wrath.

"What's wrong with you?!" she snapped. "You're acting like you did when you first got here!"

"Well of course!" I shot back, tears building at the corners of my eyes. "I'm useless!"

"What are you talking about?" Fierce Fox snapped. "You were getting better, Alice! What's holding you back?"

"It's because..." I looked down. "It's because I'm _scared_! This island, the gods, the monsters… I'm scared something's going to happen to us. I'm not ready to be a hero, Fierce Fox! I don't know anything about anything! I'm all alone, I don't know what's going on… I'm… I'm just a stupid, scared girl... I wanna go back home…"

Tears began to flow down my cheeks. I looked up when I felt a warmth on my shoulder.

"Hey…" Fierce Fox squeezed my shoulder. "It's okay, Alice. I'm here for you. We're in this together. Okay?"

She gave me a small smile.

I gasped, shaking. "But… but I don't know anything about this prophecy stuff, or…"

"That doesn't matter," Fierce Fox waved it off. "We'll figure it out together. Nothing can stop us."

She held out her hand. I grabbed it, trying to smile.

"Yeah…" I nodded. "Together."

* * *

Hades' table was far less appealing than Poseidon's. It was made completely out of human skeletons, holding up grey walls. Torches spewing out green flames were at the front, and graffiti was all over the temple.

"Can you help me clean this graffiti?" a boy asked, standing in front of the temple. "I'll pay you one drachma."

Fierce Fox and I nodded. We cleaned off all of the stupid graffiti, making me wonder who put it there. According to people on the island, it was Zeus.

"Thanks for your help!" the boy grinned. "May Hades look favorably upon you." He handed us a drachma, or a Greek coin. I nodded, and faced the entrance to Hades' temple. Breathing in, the two of us entered.

Unfortunately, it was not anymore pleasant inside the temple. There were gravestones embedded into the walls, and skulls with alighted, green candles. I shivered. Hades had always been my least favourite god, second to Zeus, of course. (And Hercules, if he counted...) His realm really gave me the creeps.

Fierce Fox placed the pomegranates on the altar, and the door to Hades' realm opened. Unlike Poseidon's, there are no people hanging out. It is just a gritty cliff, with skeletons in the walls. Beyond the cliff was an extremely long and dark drop. I couldn't help sweat beading as soon as I saw it.

"Uh... foxes first?" I asked, gesturing down the drop.

Fierce Fox gave me a look. She seemed to know I didn't want to jump. So she sighed and grabbed my arm without my consent, and leaped into the darkness, ignoring my frail screams.

If you're wondering about the experience, remember when I fell off the bridge on Early Poptropica. Now multiply that experience by about twenty, make it much darker and scarier… and that's not even close to how bad it was. Yeah.

Finally, the drop finished, and I landed on another rocky cliff, completely alive, contrary to my fear. I didn't even earn a scratch.

Beneath us was the River Styx, a grand, glowing green river. A man with deathly white skin, a grey beard and green-skull insignia clothing was sitting in a boat, ready for passengers. Fierce Fox and I climbed into his boat. I was praying that he wasn't going to set some sort of death trap for us.

"Hello, Charon..." I asked.

"Greetings, prophesied hero," Charon replied. "I believe you desire to cross the River Styx? It is very dangerous, even for you."

"Well... I-I kind of h-h-have to..." I said, shaking real hard. Fierce Fox didn't even look at me.

Charon nodded, and the journey began. And it didn't go any better than the incident with the hydra.

I tried my hardest to ignore the blackened walls, and deathly stalactites. Speaking of stalactites, one fell at my head. I quickly dodged out of the way, my shaky hand grabbing Fierce Fox. A flaming skull flew at us; we ducked. Then, a scary-looking crocodile peeked its head out from the river, sending us to the back of the boat.

The two of us quickly got up again, and moved to the front. Another stalactite fell down. Before I could breath, it suddenly knocked Fierce Fox. She was flung from the boat, and I frantically reached out to grab her. But my grip slipped, and she fell into the looming river.

"FIERCE FOX!" I cried, as she vanished.

_No… no… this can't be real… you said we'd be together!_

I wanted to jump in myself. I wanted to cry and scream. I wanted to beg for her return. It was all fruitless. All I could do was sit there and stare at my distorted figure in the river.

The River Styx finished up ahead.

_What am I going to do without her…? Please, let her come back._

I got out of the boat, and onto the barren land. I felt nothing. A skeleton of possibly a dinosaur was up ahead, and above it was Hades' throne room. But before all that, I had to deal with Cerberus. The problem was, I didn't have the reed pipe.

"Alice," a voice said behind me.

It was Fierce Fox, arms across her chest.

"Did you really think I'd die that easily?" she raised her brow.

"Oh my goodness!" I cried, filled with joy. She was okay! She was _alive_.

I almost throttled her with an embrace. She awkwardly pushed me away after a few seconds.

"You survived!" I gasped. "But how…?"

"There's no time for explanations," Fierce Fox held up a hand. "We need to get the whisker and get out of here."

"Why?" I asked. "There's no real rush, right?"

"I've got a real bad feeling," Fierce Fox grimaced. "Come on."

I nodded and took out Fierce Fox's reed pipe. I faced Cerberus, who was growling. His food bowl was full of human bones, which was not very comforting. I played a tune on the pipe, and he fell asleep.

Carefully, I plucked off one of his whiskers. Then I pulled out the mirror, and escaped the Underworld. Relief flooded through me. I was not a fan of that place.

We returned to the area near the Tree of immortality. I knew what was going to happen next - Zeus was going to betray us and take away the five sacred objects.

 _We can't let that happen…_ I thought. _We need to stop Zeus before that._

I eyed Athena ahead, shaking.

_If the island goes to plan, then we'll able to beat him..._

"Athena," I kept my voice low as we approached her. "We have to destroy the five sacred objects, now!"

"So you're aware of their power," Athena grimaced. "Come on, let's-"

Right on cue, lightning filled the sky, and the world flashed. I yelped and ducked behind an olive tree, nearby Athena. Zeus appeared, and started cackling.

_No…_

"You think you can run from me?" he asked, grinning wide. He stole the objects right off me like no one's business.

I stumbled backwards. Fierce Fox stood nearby me.

"But those aren't the only things I want," he growled. "I want something else. You. Come with me, hero."

My breath caught in my throat. I began backing away. Electricity stirred up the trees around me.

"... don't take her," Fierce Fox stepped forward. "Take me instead."

"What?!" I span around. "Fierce Fox, you can't-"

She shushed me. "I got this. Don't worry. You do your hero thing."

"Hmm…" Zeus narrowed his eyes. "And why should I take you instead, Fierce Fox?"

"Because I could kick your ass with or without Alice," Fierce Fox hissed.

Thunder boomed in the background.

"Very well!" Zeus cackled. He held up a hand, grinning. Waves of electricity surrounded Fierce Fox, holding her up in the air.

"By midnight all of Poptropica will be under control, and you will never see Fierce Fox again!" Zeus boomed. "If you turn yourself in to me by then, I will release her safely. But if you don't, I will kill her!"

"No!" I cried out.

But Fierce Fox just smiled at me. She and Zeus disappeared with a flash of lightning.

"Oh Athena," I faced the goddess behind me. "What am I going to do?! Why does everyone keep calling me a 'prophesied hero'?! I'm not a hero! I'm just a worthless nobody who won't be able to save her friend. Or Poptropica. I thought I was... but I'm not." I looked away, tears in my eyes. "I don't care about any of this, Athena. I just want my Poptropican back."

"Alice..." Athena looked into my eyes. "I do not believe your weakness is cowardice - it is grief. You lost something in the past - not just your leg. That leg is a reminder of what you lost, and so it haunts you to this day. You only find solace in this world, Poptropica. And, when you arrive here, you lose that haunting memory, like when you play it. Your fear you started to overcome. But something stopped you today. I believe that was something in your world - fear of getting hurt again."

"I.." I bit my lip.

_Is it time to tell the truth?_

"Well.. in my world…" I looked down. "I'm not treated very well.. All these people, they've been bullying me and making my life a misery. And it feels like they're right. I... I can't save anyone..."

"You can, child," Athena replied. "Remember when you saved Fierce Fox on Astro Knights?"

"She saves me far more often than I save her," I sighed, shaking my head. "Besides, there always has to be someone else to save me. I'm nothing without her."

Athena shook her head. "That is sometimes true. But think of what you can do. You tried to help Fierce Fox - and you were brave enough to tell her the truth. And in your world, you use motivation everyday and go to school, even though it harms you. You do have courage - and it will come out when you need it most. That is why you were chosen. And soon, Fierce Fox will open up to you too."

"'Chosen'?" I echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid there is not much time to explain," Athena replied, staring at the sky. "You must go - speak to my brother, Hercules. You need his help! Then you must get to my uncles - they can help you."

"Got it," I said, turning around. Then I looked over my shoulder. "And Athena?"

"Yes?" she asked.

I grinned. "Thanks."

Then I rushed away to Herc's Hero Hut.

* * *

Herc's Hero Hut was a white, marble building. Girls were sitting around on fancy tables, all wearing chitons. It was decorated with signs saying things like 'Meet Hercules the great'.

The actual Hercules was at the end of the room. He was about a head taller than me, and had slicked up, mud-brown hair, similar to Elvis Presley's. Belts were strapped across his chest, and connected to his light brown skirt.

"Hercules," I approached him. He gazed into my eyes.

"Oh, you're that hero or something," he said, eyeing me. "What do you want?"

"I need your help," I replied, folding my arms. "Before you say anything, your father is going to pretty much take over Poptropica by midnight. And Aphrodite gave me a mirror so you don't have to walk anywhere. We can just teleport."

"... To where?" Hercules asked, tapping his chin.

"Throne rooms of the major gods," I told him. "The doors are blocked; I need you to open them."

"Well... autograph sales have been slow lately…" Hercules shrugged. "Let's do it!"

I gave him a nod and whipped out Aphrodite's mirror. I pressed on the purple section, which had a picture of a trident.

We teleported to the middle of the sea, the opposite side of the Hydra's cave's entrance. A rock platform was beneath us, and I could tell it was loosely placed in. I gestured to it, and Hercules swiftly smashed it with his foot.

I swam down to the entrance of Poseidon's throne room, which welcomed me with seashell pillars. The inside had fish statues spewing out water, and grey pillars with fish statues. Tridents were on the lower wall area, dipped in a pool of water.

The god of the sea himself was standing on a seashell throne, with tridents sticking out the side. Seashells statues are on both sides.

Poseidon had an ocean-blue beard, which moved around like seaweed in the ocean. His skin was baby-blue, and he wasn't wearing anything over his chest, aside from a starfish necklace. A trident - the trident I was going to use, was gripped firmly in his hand. He was also at least twice my size, like Zeus.

"Hello, Poseidon." I bowed my head.

"I know why you have come, prophesied hero," he replied. "My brother Zeus is mad with power."

"My friend Fierce Fox sacrificed herself for me…" I told him. "I have to help her."

That's right… I didn't care about the prophecy anymore. I just wanted my friend back.

"I cannot leave the sea," Poseidon said, which was what I expected. "But I will give you my trident to aid you."

"Thank you," I grinned faintly, as the trident went into my inventory. Then I bit my lip. "Just a question… is every god except Zeus on my side?"

"You will have to find out for yourself, I am afraid," Poseidon answered, much to my dismay. "Now go. Poptropica requires saving."

...

I grimaced as we teleported to Hades' realm. A boulder was in front of his throne room's door. Hercules pushed the 'little pebble' out of the way, revealing the door.

It was a very dark throne room, with a green tinge. There were... interesting statues, like dragons and bats. Skull candles were glowing in the pale light. Half expecting something to grab me, I took a step. I took a few more steps, approaching the throne. It was made out of green metal, with horns sticking out of the side.

Hades himself was sitting on the throne. He had albino white skin, and short black hair. A small black beard was on his face, and he carried a white staff with skulls on it. He was wearing olive-green robes.

"Hello, Hades." I greeted, bowing my head.

"The prophesied hero," Hades replied. "I know why you have come. My brother Zeus is very dangerous."

"Yes," I replied. "And I know… you're going to give me your crown."

"Indeed," he took off his crown, which was made out of human bones, much to my distaste. He gave it to me, and it joined Poseidon's trident.

"Thank you," I turned to leave.

"Human," he called out.

I looked over my shoulder.

"Do not become like that fool Hercules," he told me, narrowing his eyes, "or Olympus forbid, my youngest brother. Know where your priorities are, child, or I'll regret helping you."

"Helping me…?" I asked. "When did-"

"Does that earthquake back on Counterfeit Island not jog your memory?" he asked.

"That was you?!" I asked.

"And your friend would still be in the River Styx had I not intervened," he told me.

"... wh… why would you help me?" I asked. "I mean, I'm grateful, but…"

"As much as I hate to admit it, you could be our last chance at overthrowing my youngest brother and a secret weapon of his own," Hades told me, glowering. "Speaking of which…" He gazed up at the ceiling.

"Right," I trembled. "I have to go." I turned to leave, but glanced over my shoulder.

"Secret weapon…?" I asked.

Hades grimaced. "I believe you are not the only one from your world here."

I felt shivers go down my spine. I bit my lip.

"I… I have to go," I stammered. "Thank you!"

* * *

The mirror teleported us to the front of Zeus' realm. A golden gate stood in our path, with a large padlock. Hercules bashed through it with his mighty strength. We passed the busted gate, and into a garden, with a marble roof. A large, green snake peeped its head from the ground and wiggled around. I gasped.

"It's just a pesky snake," Hercules assured me. "I'll take care of it." He walked towards it.

"Hercules, no!" I cried. "Don't touch that thing!"

Too late. He reached down to the snake, when it suddenly transformed into Medusa. She had the same coloured skin as Hades, and withering green snakes flowing from her head.

"You picked the wrong snake to mess with, buddy!" she growled, her head steaming, literally. Hercules' body flashed, and he was transformed into stone. I felt a little sorry for him, despite him saying that he always wanted to be a statue on Mount Olympus.

I passed him and came underneath Mount Olympus, which soared above my head.

A man standing next to a stall grinned down at me. He had a blue beard that seemed like it was created by the wind. His skin was baby-blue, and a leather bag hung over his shoulder. Bags like his were hanging on the wooden stall - bags of wind. I paid him a drachma, and he handed me one.

I brought out the bag, and peeled off the top. A breeze danced out, and carried me swiftly into the air, until I dropped onto a rocky, but flat cliff.

I have to admit - nervous was an understatement. That day was definitely an interesting one - I fought a hydra, found out I was some sort of prophesied hero, answered a quiz about the gods, and crossed the River Styx. And now I was about to fight the god of the gods. Lucky me.

The first thing that welcomed me in Zeus' realm were puffy, pink clouds. It was almost pitch black, and I could barely see. I leaped in front of a statue of Zeus, and a light switched on. I repeated this for four other Zeus statues, when a spotlight shimmered down from the sky, and the real Zeus appeared, hovering in front of a golden, glowing throne.

"So, you dared to come!" he boomed, clutching his fancy lighting bolt. "Are you going to turn yourself over or will your friend be annihilated?"

My body shivered. But something else was brewing inside me.

"Actually, I have a better idea!" I declared. "Let's have a battle - if I win, then you will surrender, give back the sacred objects, and hand over Fierce Fox. If you win, then you can take over Poptropica and I will join you."

Zeus made a thoughtful expression. Then he laughed. "Very well! You have yourself a deal, prophesied hero! But you are a foolish mortal! You cannot defeat me. You don't even have any powers!"

"We'll see about that!" I yelled back, grabbing Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident. I placed the crown on my head and gripped the trident. Suddenly, I felt power surge through my body, like electric currents. My height increased, until I was as tall as Zeus. Sparks of electricity flew off my body, making me glow. I waved Poseidon's trident, and pink clouds appeared beneath my feet.

Zeus growled. "Curse my brothers! Once this is over, I will have you all kneeling beneath my feet!"

Before I could say a word, Zeus lunged at me with a huge lightning bolt. My clouds lifted me above that. Using Poseidon's trident, I shot a few bolts of my own, hitting the god. He growled and started glowing white. Balls of electric power formed around him, and they chased after me.

I floated around in the sky, avoiding the balls of power as best as I could. I countered this attack with more bolts from Poseidon's trident. Zeus deflected those and turned transparent again. He charged straight for me; I dodged him with a faint squeal.

His next attack was sending out a wave of lightning bolts; one hit me with a stab of pain. After that, he was vulnerable, so I hit him with a gazillion bolts.

He cringed in pain, and glowed transparent again. The balls began to form around him; they soon started chasing after me. I yelped as one hit me, and one of my clouds vanished. I quickly flew around, searching for more clouds, when suddenly Zeus charged at me with full throttle.

And then I only had one cloud.

"One more hit and you are finished, mortal!" Zeus cackled, as I desperately flew around. I shot a bolt at him, but of course he countered this with another lightning bolt. Then I did something extremely reckless and stupid.

I grabbed onto Zeus, I mean literally, and started blowing bolts in his face, non-stop. Eventually he glowed white and shocked me off, which thanks to Ex Machina, I landed on a passing cloud.

I cried and flew up with my lone cloud, collecting a few more clouds. Zeus just needed to be hit a few more times - grabbing onto him had been really effective... as well as stupid recklesss.

So I went full steam ahead and flowed around, waiting for Zeus to become vulnerable. When he did, I went ballistic and bombarded him with lightning bolts. He flailed backwards, crashing onto the ground.

"You never were my favourite god anyway." I smiled down at him.

"Curse you, Alice!" Zeus yelled, cringing and floating. "Take the items and your pesky friend back!"

The five sacred items returned to my inventory, and Fierce Fox appeared with a flash of lightning. I tackled her with another hug. Because of my size, I, uh, accidentally lifted her off her feet, crushing her in my arms.

"Alice," Fierce Fox groaned into my chest.

"Whoops," I sweat beaded, putting her down. "Sorry."

Zeus glared at me, disappearing into the clouds. "You have created an enemy, prophesied hero! One day I will have revenge, and you won't win so easily!"

I took off Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident, my legs taking me to Athena and Fierce Fox. My eyes watered.

"Fierce Fox!" I clung onto her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Yeah yeah, I'm here," she patted my back. "Enough with the hugs, okay?"

"Oh, sorry…" I backed away, blushing. "Um… sorry about before... I was being such a baby. I'm just so scared. I don't know what I'm doing."

"It's fine," Fierce Fox grinned. "We're back together now, aren't we?"

My eyes watered.

"Fierce Fox…" I blubbered.

"Okay, okay…" she waved her hands. "Please don't cry all over me again…"

Athena beamed at us. "Well done, Alice. You saved Poptropica!"

"I… I did my best…" I grinned at Fierce Fox, who gave me a thumbs up.

"I believe it is time I told you something," Athena furrowed her brow. "You must be curious about how you are managing to get to Poptropica, aren't you?"

"Yes!" I jumped, heart thumping. "Please, tell me."

Fierce Fox grimaced. I placed my hand on her arm.

"Dammit…" she muttered.

"It is about time you know," Athena laced her fingers together. "A... little while ago, a prophecy arose, and it said that a hero from another world would come to Poptropica, and help an ordinary Poptropican complete islands. This hero... was said to do great things, and be quite valuable. Us gods were the first to hear it, although we did not know much. It soon spread to other Poptropica islands, and became quite popular. A lot of the major villains began searching for this hero, including Zeus, who apparently got in contact with people from your world. When the hero - you - arrived, nobody knew it was you, not even us. Then, on 24 Carrot island, we got signals from Dr. Hare, and he reported about a girl who seemed to know everything.

"That's when we knew the hero had come. We watched over you from then, overseeing your actions. Some paid more attention than others. I paid attention, and so did Zeus - he is interested in things like this. Hades also paid attention, much to my surprise. But the prophecy did say that some - even the unexpected - would be assistful. Then, the other villains attempted to capture you - we could not let that happen. I admit, I didn't expect that earthquake from Hades - but yet again, Counterfeit Island isn't too far from here. And now, you are fulfilling the prophecy."

"Whoa..." I breathed, trying to take it all in. Athena gazed into my eyes.

"You should return home - I believe you will need the time to think," she said, holding out the medallion. "But before you do, you should have a talk with your friend."

I turned to Fierce Fox, who looked away.

"Fierce Fox…?" I asked. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

"... I don't wanna say much, but…" she gritted her teeth. "My dad predicted the future."

"Huh?" I asked.

"He said that this world's all a video game, and…" she trembled. "He said we're all going to die."


	16. Skullduggery

I decided to have a nap before entering Poptropica that night. And of course, I had a dream. An unhappy dream, that is.

A man was standing ahead of me, in some kind of black, empty void. He was middle aged, with blonde hair styled in a mullet, fair skin, and blue eyes. He wore a green checkered shirt and blue shorts, as well as black sandals. My lip trembled.

"Dad…" I breathed.

Dad smiled at me. " _Hey there, spark. You've gotten taller._ "

"D… Dad…" I felt tears burning behind my eyes.

Dad reached over and put a hand on my shoulder.

" _You're doing great, spark_ ," he told me. " _Just hold on a little longer._ "

A smile appeared on my face. I reached out to hug him. But he wasn't there. I was in the void, all alone.

_Dad, please…._

I fell over, tears building in my eyes.

_How can I do this without you?!_

* * *

I groaned as we flew over to Skullduggery Island.

"What's up?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I sighed, "We just had this whole kerfuffle with Zeus, and now we're meeting another villain who'll probably want to kidnap and kill me. I just want a break!"

"Well, this next villain isn't a god, right?" Fierce Fox asked, shrugging. "Surely they won't be that bad."

I bit my lip, "No. He's not a god. But he's still a super villain. He's not going to be easy to defeat."

_Or is he…?_

Our discussion was cut short when the blimp docked at Fort Ridley. What had once been a quaint, charming town had turned into a wasteland of destruction and mess. Even the sign was trailing smoke. The dock itself had a gaping hole, and most of the roofs also had holes.

All of this was courtesy due to a gang of pirates. The gang of pirates that we would go head to head with.

We crossed over a bridge which stood over a small canyon filled with rocks and water. Underneath it, someone threw a coin - or a doubloon, I should say - so I grabbed it. Then I spent it at a run-down shop.

I bought a bag of chicken feed, and gave it to a man standing with some chickens. To thank me, he gave me a chicken, which went into my inventory.

Fierce Fox following me, I handed the chicken to a farmer, so it could eat all the bugs on the farmer's crop. In return, the farmer gave me a blue candle. Then we climbed up a rocky mountain, to the governor's office, which was an old, brick building, although not as badly damaged as some of the other places.

The governor himself and his assistant were standing at the back, next to a faintly glowing candle. The assistant eyed me, in a rather disturbing way. Yeah… not sus at all.

I swapped out the candle with our blue candle, forming a gentle blue light. It revealed a hidden passage on a letter, which mentioned something about Skullduggery Island and a treasure. The governor told us to go and find this treasure, so we did. We exited the building and headed to the dock.

I climbed up to the top of the lighthouse and peered through a telescope. Fierce Fox wagged the broken mirror, making it flash. We got a flashback from a raft, and it came towards the island.

The raft belonged to a stranded merchant and his small crew. He explained to us that he had been robbed by pirates, shipwrecked and the raft was the only thing keeping him afloat.

"Take my ship," he told us. "See if you can do better than me."

We accepted it and climbed aboard the floating wooden planks. His remaining crew were still there, ready for more adventures.

"Captain!" they grinned at Fierce Fox.

Fierce Fox put her hand on my shoulder. "Looks like you get to be the first mate."

I sighed. "Hooray."

Our boat set sail across the sea. As a fun bonus, I got to be the navigator as well. The water rushed under our feet, and in the distance I saw puffy clouds.

The first stop on our journey was the Golden Harbour, which had an Arabic feel to it. The dock was red and rocky, and most of the island itself was like a desert. I resisted the urge to sing Arabian Nights and rushed across the desert sand. Fierce Fox followed.

"Okay," I faced her, "Do me a favour and light up the lanterns four, two and one."

I pointed to the hanging, Arabic-style lanterns. Fierce Fox did that, and from under an arched doorway, a piece of paper fell down. I grabbed it, getting the first piece of the map. I thanked my partner for her assistance and returned to the boat.

While sailing over the sea, I spotted floating shipwreck. The ship sailed towards it, and more cargo filled up our deck. I grinned as our ship docked the next island: Pirate Harbor.

It was a dark island, with flags of skulls and rocky cliffs, plus residential pirates. A large, rock skull was in the middle of the island, its head covered in grass. The both of us passed under it, and climbed up onto a wooden platform, which was standing on rocky, smooth slopes.

Fierce Fox, with my instruction, grabbed the Cannon Starter Kit from a roof of a building. Meanwhile, I pushed a barrel full of explosives off a ledge; it landed in a pool of water surrounding the island.

Leaping in the water myself, I shoved the explosives underneath the skull. One of skull's teeth was gold, and lodged firmly in the stone jaw.

Fierce Fox was at a cannon, ready to fire. I swam out of the way as a cannon ball soared through the air and landed on the explosive. It exploded, and the tooth fell off the jaw, revealing a hanging piece of paper. I snatched it up, then we set sail.

However, I think Zeus decided to pay us a visit because the sea was full of storm clouds. Our ship, slowly and painfully, moved around the clouds. The good part was we managed to avoid them, and arrived at the next island, Dragon Cove.

Dragon Cove was inspired by ancient China, with red temples, and dragon statues in the water. The entire island's floor was made out of cobblestone, and most people were wearing rice hats.

In the water, a dragon statue's head was peeking out. I jumped on it; its tail rose up. A mallet was on that, so I grabbed it. Fierce Fox, with my instruction, pushed an old guy sitting on a crate across the ground, until he was close to a large, bronze bell.

I smashed the bell with the mallet, and a fish leaped out of the water and landed on the man's fishing rod. The man was grateful and handed us a piece of paper from the mouth of the fish.

After a relatively peaceful journey across the sea, we docked Bouffant Bay. Like Dragon Cove, it was the middle of the day, and the majority of it is stone. However, there was a little beach at the front, and the buildings were more European. Fierce Fox trailed after me, as I stopped in front of a little brick house with three hanging ferns.

In order, I nudged the one hanging on the right, Fierce Fox hit the left, and we both hit the one in the middle. A piece of paper fell out of it, drifting to the ground. I picked it up, and gave Fierce Fox a nod.

"One more map piece." I declared.

Unfortunately our next journey on the sea wasn't so pleasant. A ship starting following us around, shooting cannon balls.

"Fierce Fox, is that your ship or a piece of smelly driftwood?" the ship's owner Smelly Gabe yelled at us. His ship, with a large black flag, kept chasing us around, shooting non-stop cannon balls. The opposition ship was at least twice our size, much to my fear.

Fierce Fox scowled. "ALL HANDS ON DECK!"

"Go cap'n," I grinned up at her.

Thanks to her leadership (and a bit of my navigation), we managed to escape Smelly Gabe within the nick of time. My breaths were much more steady after that.

We arrived at Parrot Port, which was the most beautiful island in my opinion. I leaped over a tropical, sandy beach, then climbed up onto a rocky platform. Fierce Fox followed me onto a grassy hill, which had many poorly-built houses and produce.

I sent Fierce Fox to a little hotel to pick up a cracker, while I spoke to a parrot who was standing on a crate.

"Squawk!" the parrot squawked. "Jump in the sea, then come find me!"

I turned around and returned to the dock. I leaped into the ocean, the cool water spraying on my body. Then I climbed out, and spotted the parrot on a poorly-built building.

I joined the parrot on the wooden windowsill, ignoring the cracks in the walls of the building.

"Squawk!" the parrot cried. "Clog the vent, then see where I went!"

I jumped over to the neighbour building, which had a vent, leaking smoke into the air. I slammed my foot down on it, clogging up the smoke.

I walked across the roof, landing on a palm tree at the end of it. The parrot was sitting on the leaves.

"Squawk!" it squawked. "To the old tower go, and find a pirate I know!" It took off once more.

I hopped off the palm tree, running into Fierce Fox.

"Go to that old tower," I told her, pointing to a tall tower, "and use your cracker."

She did such a thing, and the pirate standing there was reunited with his parrot. He gave Fierce Fox the final piece of the map, which she gave to me. I pieced it with the other map parts, and Skullduggery island appeared.

However, we weren't going there just yet. Instead, our ship sailed (while avoiding a whirlpool) to Dragon Cove. I faced Fierce Fox as we docked.

"Now," I said. "It's time to start trading."

* * *

After a good few hours of trading, buying boats and crew, we were finally ready to take on Captain Crawfish. We had recently bought the Phoenix Warbird, the grandest ship of them all.

The massive boat was shaped like a magnificent, wooden phoenix. The sails were coloured like fire, and seemed to spew off colour. The hull had a bird head, which had a golden bill, matching the golden windows.

The crew were all standing proudly on the ship, ready to go to Skullduggery Island. Fierce Fox, being the captain, was the proudest of them all.

Our ship crossed the seas, approaching Skullduggery Island, the smallest island of all.

"It's Captain Crawfish!" our navigator cried, spying a looming ship in the distance. My heart leaped to my throat.

"Alice!" Fierce Fox stood above me. "Hide somewhere. You said he's one of the super villains, right?"

I bit my lip, "But… you need me, don't you?"

Fierce Fox patted my shoulder. "Just tell me what to do. I got this."

I nodded. "All you gotta do is hit him with cannon balls. That'll knock him down."

Fierce Fox gave me a nod, as I snuck into a little hidden area in the ship, slipping behind piles and piles of cargo.

_CRASH!_

I nearly fell over and bashed my heart. I gulped down some air, staying still. I saw occasional cannonballs soar in, and smoke arose. But the ship never sank.

 _Man…_ I thought. _I really should be up there… shouldn't I?_

Fierce Fox peeked her head down from the deck, "We defeated him, Alice! You can come up now!"

I nodded, and climbed out of the little area. I directed our ship to return to Fort Ridley.

When we got there, Fierce Fox and I raced up the island, and back to the governor. He was still clutching his scroll, beaming from ear to ear.

Although I was happy to see him likewise, I noticed his assistant - well, Captain Crawfish's _spy_ \- was absent.

"You've defeated Captain Crawfish!" he exclaimed. "And we owe you our gratitude. Now, take this map and special shovel to unbury the treasure!"

Fierce Fox took those, and I thanked him. Then, we exited and got back onto our ship.

"This is our last sail, I promise." I assured Fierce Fox, as we climbed aboard.

"I'm not tired or bored." Fierce Fox laughed at me.

"You've got so much stamina…" I laughed back. "You know… about the prophecy-"

"Hey," Fierce Fox crossed her arms. "We've got some treasure to dig up."

At last, we had docked the titular Skullduggery island… which did not make me feel any less nervous.

Skullduggery island itself was covered in mist, and the sky was pitch black. It was basically one large beach, with rocks and palm trees bursting from the island. I knew Captain Crawfish was going to come, and I didn't want to face him.

But I _did_ want to help Fierce Fox.

"I'll help you dig up the treasure," I told Fierce Fox, "then when Captain Crawfish comes, I'm hiding. Good plan?"

She gave me a nod. So, together, underneath a palm tree, we started digging.

An hour later, we finally uncovered the treasure. It was piles of riches and gold, that were probably worth millions. As strong as Poptropicans were, we couldn't carry the whole load without the assistance of the crew. Luckily, I couldn't see Captain Crawfish's ship anywhere in sight…

"Alright," I turned to Fierce Fox. "We need to-"

"Stop right there."

A sharp, gleaming sword was pointed at my chest, being wielded by none other than Captain Crawfish.

He had a golden peg leg, red pirate hat with feathers, an eye patch, a red vest with a white neck-cuff, and a scar under his cheek. His beard was brown, and his face expressed a twisted scowl.

"Well well well…" he spoke, in a grisly voice. "The infamous hero."

"What do you want from us?" I growled.

"I have a deal for you, lass," he snarled at me.

"No way," I held out my arms. "Stay back!"

"Listen to my deal!" Captain Crawfish thundered. "I'm challenging you to a duel." He held up his sword. "A sword fight."

"A sword fight?" I repeated, gulping.

"Yes," Captain Crawfish said, with a sly grin. "If you win, the treasure is yours, and I shall leave you alone. If not? You and the treasure will be mine, lass."

"What if I refuse?" I asked, my hands shaking.

Captain Crawfish's crew surrounded me, holding out their swords and scowls. Even better, Fierce Fox was nowhere in sight. Shivers soared down my spine.

"Fierce Fox?" I cried out. Where had she run off to? I couldn't see her any where.

I bit my lip, turning back to Captain Crawfish. "But I don't have a weapon!"

_Or any sword fighting skills!_

Captain Crawfish scratched his beard. "A pirate with no sword on 'em?"

"I'm not a pirate," I grumbled.

Captain Crawfish shook his head. "Aye, I must agree it's unfair that you don't have a sword." He gestured at one of his crew members, and they handed him a sword. Then he passed it to me.

"Thanks..." I said, a little surprised that he actually gave me a weapon. "If I win, may I keep this?"

Captain Crawfish smirked. "You will not win. No one beats Captain Crawfish at sword-fighting. You'd almost be better without one at all."

"... we'll see about that," I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

Captain Crawfish chuckled and swung his sword at me. I leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade. Then again, I didn't know how to sword fight. Captain Crawfish swung at me again; I dodged, just barely.

 _Right, let's try_ , I thought.

I swung my sword, like an idiot. Thank the gods, because I actually managed to slice a feather off Captain Crawfish's hat.

I swung my sword again, this time Captain Crawfish avoided the attack. He countered this by bringing his sword down on me; I leaped out of the way with a yelp.

_Oh god why did I agree to this… Fierce Fox, where are you?_

I shook my head, swinging my sword. The captain jumped out of the way, teeth gritted.

_No… if I can defeat Zeus, I can defeat this guy…_

Suddenly, Captain Crawfish's sword came down and sliced my arm. I felt a rush of pain and clutched my sore arm.

Of course, Captain Crawfish wasn't done yet. He raised his sword and hit me again, sending me flying across the sand. With that evil grin expressed on his face, he took steps towards me, while I braced with the horrid pain in my weak arm.

"Yer time is up, lass," he growled, pointing his sword at me. Suddenly, cannon balls soared across the sky, like shooting stars. I gazed at them in awe.

"We're under attack!" one of Captain Crawfish's crew members cried. "Run!"

Captain Crawfish and his crew sprinted away. Meanwhile, his ship started smoking, and flames rose up from it. It began to sink into the water. Behind the ship, I realized, was my own crew, firing cannon balls.

"Yeah!" a youngster on the ship called. "Run, you smelly old pirate!"

"Never did like Crawfish..." An old guy agreed, while the others cheered.

Fierce Fox waved, standing on the mantelpiece in front of the ship. My face split into a grin as I gazed up at her.

"Don't worry," she grinned at me. "I got your back."

She helped me onto the ship as we watched the moon rise.

"Let's go and get your medallion," I grinned.


	17. Steamworks

"What do you think of the show so far?"

I shrugged at Marcus as he sat next to me in the library, chubby arms behind his head.

"It's… cheesy," I told him. "But I like the action."

Marcus laughed. "Yeah. Got some good lore, too."

I nodded, letting him laugh away. He titled his head after a few moments.

"What's up, Alice?" he asked me, gently. "You seem a little out of it."

"I… I don't know," I replied. I grimaced. "Marcus… what do you think of Louisa Van Tullekan and Chrissi McLaughlin?"

"Those two?" Marcus made a face. "Well, Louisa seems nice, I guess, although Chrissi acts like a bitch."

"They haven't been… strange to you, or anything?" I asked.

"I honestly don't pay much attention to them, so I wouldn't know," Marcus shrugged. He titled his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing…" I looked away. "Just… curious."

I glanced at my hands. _Looks like I'm gonna have to figure this out myself..._

...

In my opinion, Steamworks had always been one of the creepier islands. I mean, its theme is steampunk (a genre I strongly disliked), and it was almost completely deserted. Oh well. At least we got a break from all the crazy super villains.

The island, just as I expected, was totally deserted. There was not a single soul nearby, and all I could see was machinery. Vines covered the majority of buildings, which were doused in rust.

The first building Fierce Fox and I stumbled across was the Clockwork Cantina, which was a giant, rusted gold clock, vines twirled in its circuits.

We (well, I) solved a little puzzle in the shop's engine, and I felt the gears turn. A multi tool popped out; I grabbed it. To the left of the Clockwork Cantina was a scrap bin, which held a steam engine.

"Well, you know what they say," I shrugged. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

I picked up the engine, Fierce Fox giving me a face.

I sighed. "Come on, let's go into the museum."

She nodded, and we entered the museum, which was just as metallic and rustic as everything else on the island.

The walls were grey, platforms hanging from them. I pointed to a machine that looked like a bulldozer and an excavator had a baby.

Fierce Fox jumped on its outstretched arm, while I raced towards the back and pulled a lever, making it rise. I yelled instructions at Fierce Fox to grab a beaker from above somewhere.

After that, we headed back to the Clockwork Cantina, and I pulled a lever, unleashing a platform, like a bridge. Fierce Fox climbed on it, me following. We found a locked door, but I unlocked it using the multi tool.

Inside was the room of Mayor Crumb, which looks like it hadn't been touched since the dinosaurs were around. I picked up on a clue on a picture on the wall: 05/16.

We arrived at a new area, passing a few shops, like Sully's Steam-Powered Paraphernalia. I stopped in front of a large gear, which was connected to a spinning wheel with two arms, like a clock.

I jumped on the lower platform, which rotated the upper platform. Fierce Fox scaled the side, coming up to a closed shop with locked doors. I joined her, noticing a robot crab wandering around, its back filled with water.

Praying that PETA wasn't watching, I leaped on the crab's back, sending it into the air and onto its back. It dropped two things: itself and Sully's key.

Meanwhile, Fierce Fox snatched up a coil of old vine from a roof. I headed to Sully's Paraphernalia, which was an old, metal building with a picture of Sully himself, as well as a crippling sign and grubby windows.

However, I had to solve a steam terminal puzzle (with the steam battery). Then I entered.

Sully's Paraphernalia was filled with rustic shelves, which carried various objects. The whole shop was covered with cobwebs, and vines dangling down from the roof.

I headed towards the counter, where a robot was snoozing on the floor. He was small, and shaped like a circle, with a big umbrella-like hat over his head.

I gently tapped my finger on a bell, sending a little ding throughout the room. The robot's eyes opened with surprise and he hovered above the ground.

He soon recovered from his surprise and flew into a more relaxed state.

"Hello, Sprocket," I kept my voice soft. "I'm Alice. My friend Fierce Fox - who's outside - and I are going to find help you find Zack."

Sprocket's eyes widened. "Zack?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Zack!"

Sprocket, if he were human, would've been smiling. "Okay, Alice." His metallic hood flashed over his face. "Wait... how do you know my name and about Zack?"

I shrugged. "Uh, I'm… special." I quickly turned away. "Come on, let's go and save your friends."

After a meet and greet session with Fierce Fox, we walked towards an area called 'The Hub'. It was an area with metal flooring, and pipes bursting from everywhere, rimmed with gold. Oh, and don't forget the vines crawling over everything.

An opening, shaped like a cone, was in the ground. I brought out the robot crab, and Sprocket lifted it above the ground, and smashed it onto the opening. The red colour died down. It was cool enough to enter, so we did.

It was a dark room, full of bronze pipes, and - you guessed it - vines. Sprocket was shaking and sweating. Something bumped inside the pipe we were standing on, leaving a dent.

"Uh, what was that?" Fierce Fox asked, taking a step back. She glanced at me.

"Not sure if I want to say..." I bit my lip.

Cautiously, I took a step, while Fierce Fox ran. The creature continued to thump around in the pipes, which did not help my fear.

Finally, I got down to a lower level, where I ran straight into a plant creature, which was made completely out of leaves and weeds.

It had a purple, gaping flower mouth, and wiggling weed tentacles. I had nicknamed it Planty, a nickname that would stick for its accomplices as well.

Fierce Fox stood beside me as we watched it move around.

I faced my partner. "I need the vine!"

She nodded and handed it to me.

Above my head was a small, silver pipe, which had steam coming out of it. I threw the vine up like a lasso, and it gripped onto the pipe. I tugged it down, and the steam poured onto Planty. It whined and disappeared.

Then we hopped down a few platforms, until we got to the bottom. A pool of water was there, as well as a platform connected by pipes. On the platform was an elevator's power source, which much to my surprise, worked.

I shivered at the sight of it; I did not have a comfortable experience the last time I had used an elevator on Poptropica. We had to solve a little puzzle to get it working, so we could use the actual elevator in another location.

We left the underground area and resurfaced to the Hub. I pulled a lever, and a giant circular building, like a clock, began spinning around. All three of us climbed aboard, waiting until the platform was in the right direction.

When it finally was, we leaped off and trotted across the golden, rustic pipe, to a heater shoving hot air out of itself, and soared up that.

Then we did some more jumping up platforms and slithering up vines, until we finally arrived at the elevator. With hesitation, I went inside.

As soon as we popped into the next room, thick, green vines reached out and grabbed Sprocket. He began whirring around in panic.

"Don't worry, Sprocket," I cried. "We'll save you!"

_Wow, I guess I'm a hero for real now…_

Underneath our metal platform, three vines were crawling out of three windows and clutching Sprocket. Fierce Fox trailed after me as I faced the vines.

I slammed one window shut, and repeated for the other two. Sprocket was free. He flew around with glee.

"Thank you!" he squeaked, flying over to Fierce Fox and I. "You saved me… my heroes!"

"Thanks..." I replied, cheeks burning. "Um, anyway, can you show us what Zack looks like? For Fierce Fox."

Sprocket nodded, and his eyes flashed blue, sending out a blue projection ray. It showed a red-haired, Poptropican boy wearing goggles and a leather jacket.

"That's who we need to find." I explained to Fierce Fox. She gave me a nod. Then, the three of us left, jumping up the platforms.

We made it to Captain Ziggs' room, which was a small bedroom, with an old blue wallpaper and comfy, red bed. Yet again, it reflected age. A picture was on the wall; the same picture from Mayor Crumb's office.

A lock was underneath it. Using the code 05/16, I opened the lock and headed into Captain Ziggs' compartment, hidden behind a closet. Inside was presumably Captain Ziggs' office.

It was a small room, with dark blue walls. Books were piled on a desk, and there were plants growing around. A skeleton lay on the floor. Very inviting.

Sprocket flashed his eyes again, and a figure stood there - Captain Ziggs. He had a black eye patch, spiky grey hair, a bristly beard and a blue shirt. So close to reality.

Anyway, we weren't finished just yet. I picked up a bridge key on the ground and the Weed Whacker mech attachment, which were both for later.

Once we exited we headed towards a bridge that was towering above our heads, like a sword sticking up in the sky. We solved a steam terminal puzzle, and the bridge fell down.

The other side was in sight. We raced over there, skimming past rustic pipes and other various machines.

I stepped over a crack in the ground, then smiled. I spoke some instructions to Fierce Fox; she hopped up to a crane, which was holding a large, grey sphere.

She pulled a lever, and it fell down, landing on the crack and creating a hole. Because this is Poptropica, we entered the hole.

I bounded off a few pipes sticking out the walls, the other two following. We somehow got into a brand new area, and the sky had turned a pale orange. There were metal platforms everywhere, as well as machinery.

I stopped in front of a machine that was shaped like a large, wonky box. Parts of it were a glowing yellow. Buttons were in front of it; obviously, we needed to push them.

"Fierce Fox," I ordered. "Go explore that side and find as many red things to push as you can."

She gave me a nod and headed off to that side, which was shelves and platforms. I did the same thing on my side.

"How do you know what to do?" Sprocket asked, as my feet brushed against the metal floor. I shoved my fist into a red platform, connected to the wall via a spring.

"I..." I faced a nub platform, which appeared to be on a giant screw. "It's a long story."

"But I can't believe you know about Zack!" Sprocket cried, as I climbed onto the nub. "Have you been here before?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"You know, Alice…" Sprocket looked into my eyes. "You remind me of Zack."

"I… do?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sprocket replied. "He was brave, just like you."

"Brave? Me?" I laughed. "Thank you, but… you're wrong. I'm not brave at all… Fierce Fox is the brave one."

"Sure, she's brave too," Sprocket agreed. "But I also think you're just as brave. Who else could be bold enough to pull off something like this?"

I just sat there, lips trembling. A small smile appeared on my face.

"Well, I've hit all the platforms," I got out. "Let's go back down." I grinned. "And thank you, Sprocket."

I met Fierce Fox in front of the buttons. Next to them, in traffic-light style, were three glowing lights. We jumped on the platforms, and another platform began whirring around above our heads.

The three of us did some more platform jumping, blah blah, until we got to the tippy top of the area. Sprocket was shaking once again, because there was a slimy, alien-like creature hanging down from the roof.

It seemed to have been born from a flower, a flower that grew seriously wrong. It had moving, stem-like eyes and sharp teeth, releasing transparent bubbles of snot. Both gross and deadly.

I slid under the disgusting snot bubbles, then came to hanging vines. Yippee. More vines.

I grabbed the first one, my grip tight. The others were behind me; we swung across. We finally got to the end. With my instruction, Fierce Fox picked up a mech steam motor, and all three of us slid into the above room.

Imagine a greenhouse mixed with a laboratory and the Jungle Planet, that went horribly wrong. If you can imagine that, then that was basically what the room we arrived in looks like.

Sprocket hated it even more than I did, because the terrified expression was back.

Despite that, Fierce Fox and I moved forwards, arriving at the end of the room, where there were three capsules of three different coloured liquids.

Fierce Fox handed me the beaker from the museum, and I filled it up with the liquids of the capsules, creating a herbicide. And then it was time to face Planty's brother.

Planty's brother was on the level above us. So of course we had to climb up there. Planty's brother looked very similar to Planty, and was guarding the maintenance closet.

I chucked the herbicide mixture at Planty's brother, and it started shrinking until it was nothing more than smoke and dusk.

I nodded at Fierce Fox, then opened the small, glass maintenance closet. I gave her brief instructions and she headed inside.

Sprocket, realizing the danger was gone, flew up next to my head.

"Hey, buddy." I greeted, happy to see him. As much as I liked Fierce Fox, it was kind of nice to have someone different tagging along with you.

"Hiya Alice." he replied, brightly.

Suddenly, the security alarms went off, and the whole building flashed red. Fierce Fox exited the maintenance closet, appearing distressed, while holding a key.

"Don't worry," I said. "I know how to get out. Follow me!"

The other two followed me as I raced up to the top, to the roof, which was a large, thick dome. At the corner of the dome, a patch of glass was cracked. Using the rubber mallet, I smashed through, earning our escape.

...

After retrieving one more piece, we finally had all the mech pieces, and we were ready to hook up to the mech. The mech was in the garage, next to Sully's Paraphernalia.

The garage was a large, hexagonal-shaped room, with the usual pipes and vines. A claw-shaped platform was holding the mech, with a message next to it.

We ignored the message and used all the mech things we gathered to start up the mech. I gestured at it, while making eye contact with Fierce Fox. Unfortunately... it only had one seat.

"Oh, thanks, prophesied hero," Fierce Fox chuckled. "How'd you drive this?"

"Easy," I answered, grinning. "Just walk like normal, and shoot out your weapons."

Fierce Fox gave me a nod, and started walking around in the mech, making the ground shake with every stomp.

"Fierce Fox, head left to this hexagon-shaped door with all these vines, and smash them away with your weed whacker!" I shouted, as she bolted out the door.

"'Prophesied hero'?" Sprocket asked, as he and I followed Fierce Fox. "What did she mean, 'prophesied hero'?"

I sighed, "Well... it's a long story. Your island has been a bit deactivated for the last few years, but basically I'm... some sort of hero that's supposedly going to save Poptropica from a great evil."

Fierce Fox's words pierced my ears. _Unless everyone dies..._

Sprocket raised his robotic brow. "I see." He gazed more intently at me. "But why you specifically?"

"I don't know," I answered, in honesty. "I don't know why they chose me when there's so much better…"

I stared at a hexagonal opening, which had been cleared by Fierce Fox and the mech. Sprocket and I entered, spotting Fierce Fox at the doorway. Sprocket suddenly froze up, returning to his fearful state.

Meanwhile, I followed the stomping Fierce Fox and yelled instructions at her. We bounded along the ground, feeling it shake.

The mech hopped up a few platforms, before getting to an oil pipe. I leaped up the mech and pulled a wheel on the pipe.

"This'll make life much easier for you." I tole Fierce Fox. She climbed onto the next, golden-plated platform.

Like some child following their mother, I stuck behind her, while we jumped up even more platforms (what fun). I gazed at the broken walls; shattered glass and vines everywhere.

 _This place needs more than a little weed spray_ , I thought.

Suddenly, a purple thing soared right past my face. It came from Planty's cousin, who was a lean, beanstalk shaped creature. It had one bobbly eye, and sharp, purple hair.

I leaped into the air, as another purple thing flew for my legs.

"Go!" I yelled at Fierce Fox. "Smack it with your weapon!"

She gave me a nod, and smashed Planty's cousin in the midriff with her weed whacker, I guess you could say. Then more jumping, blah blah, and we came to another scary creature; probably Planty's aunt.

It was shaped like a bean that came out of its pod, and didn't want to leave it. It had yellow skin, and a slug-like face, with sharp teeth. It opened its maw, and a bud of teeth came out.

With one smash, it was dead. Thank goodness...

We exited there and headed for a gigantic fan, connected to a building made out of metal and wires, with a secure door in front. Vines were twisted around it, again.

A fan blade was covering the door, which we needed to get to.

"Smack that fan blade." I ordered at Fierce Fox. Her mech smacked the blade, and the fan swirled around, at a gentle speed. Unfortunately, it meant we couldn't get through the door.

"I can open the door," Sprocket told us. "But it will take some time. Find a way to stop the fan."

"Already on it!" I called, climbing up the mech. I slid up the fan's blades, then arrived at the top of the building. A gear was at the top.

I brought out my multi tool and used it, which stopped the fan. Meanwhile, Sprocket opened the door.

"All done!" he cried. "We can enter!"

"You know," I commented, returning to the ground. "We make a pretty good team. We could take on Poptropica by storm."

Fierce Fox nodded in agreement. Even Sprocket looked like he agreed. I laced my fingers together.

"Y'know, guys," I said, brushing my hair out of my face. "This is the last boss battle… and Sprocket, you're going to see Zack. Just through this door."

"Zack!" Sprocket gasped, propellor spinning around.

"That's right," I turned away. "The final battle is here. Good knowing you guys."

"Don't act like we're not gonna survive," Fierce Fox scoffed.

"You never know," I shrugged.

Fierce Fox glowered at me. "Alice."

I bit my lip. Her eyes pierced me.

"Listen," I turned on her. "You knew about all of this prophecy stuff. You-"

"Um, maybe we should just go in," Sprocket spoke up.

_Good point…_

Inside was almost pure darkness. I could see pale lights from freezers of preservation, and another pale light from a machine in the middle of the room. I used my multi tool on the machine, and the darkness vanished.

All around me were preservation compartments, carrying people that were over two hundred years old. Zack popped out of one nearby. Sprocket spun around with glee.

"Zaaackkk!" he cried, flying over to the red-haired boy. "Zack, I found you!"

"Sprocket!" Zack gasped. "Is it really you? Did you finally free us?"

"I helped, just a little." Sprocket admitted, gazing at Fierce Fox and myself.

"How can we thank you?" A lady called behind me. She had chestnut-coloured hair and olive skin, with gears as hair-pieces. She also wore a golden vest and blue dress.

"You've saved us, after all these years," she said.

"200 years is a long time," I replied, running over to her. "You're free now. But there's one more little problem coming up."

A few seconds after I said it, the whole room began to shake.

"It's the brain of the plants," the lady realised. "You, hero… can you take on one last task for us?"

"... of course," I nodded. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Do you mind... if I use the mech this time?"

The mech took a bit of getting used to. I now had huge, robotic legs that made the ground rumble every time I took a step.

Because it was Poptropica, it was actually pretty easy to use. I doubted it would be so easy in my world.

Anyway, Fierce Fox and myself did a bit more climbing up platforms, brushing past vines lodged in the metal walls. We were going straight for Big Mama Planty, fully armed. I managed to shoot a few flying plant creatures, while Fierce Fox hopped on them.

Eventually, we dealt with all the minions and met Big Mama Planty #1. It was probably the most ugly creature of all: imagine a slug, the ugliest monster you've ever seen, and the original Planty had a baby. That's basically what it looked like.

Oh, and just when it couldn't get any worse, there was acid rising beneath us, sizzling. Awesome. Just awesome.

Big Mama Planty #1 swung its head towards us, its maw open wide. Then its extendable head pulled backwards, and I shot a toxic bolt inside the mouth. It made a weird chewing noise, then its scowl resurfaced.

"Now, jump!" I yelled at Fierce Fox, the both of us rushing forward. Big Mama was vulnerable; I shot another bolt in its mouth.

We repeated this process once more, and the first Big Mama was defeated. Then I picked up Fierce Fox on my mech, and gave her a piggy-back ride to the next platform.

Big Mama Planty #2 was waiting for us. Except this time, it shot large, purple acorns. However, defeating it was similar to the first one. I waited for it to strike and send its head out; I struck its mouth with my toxic blaster.

Fierce Fox helped by distracting the monster, so I could continue to shoot the mouth. I started to get my hopes up. But Big Mama Planty #3 ruined everything.

We arrived in front of the big green monster, and for the first two times, things were okay. Then, one of the acorns hit Fierce Fox, and sent her flying backwards. The acid was rising, and Fierce Fox was directly above it. Meanwhile, Mama Planty was vulnerable.

"FIERCE FOX!" I cried.

"Go for the monster thing," Fierce Fox told me. "I'll be fine."

"But..." I faltered. "But you need to live…"

"So do you," Fierce Fox grumbled.

Then, one simple fact hit me: logic. Fierce Fox would be regenerated.

_This is Poptropica!_

Logic, in the end, saved the day. I turned my mech on the monster, firing ahoy. It screamed as I turned it to ashes and dust. I forced myself not to look behind.

_Fierce Fox..._

But, like logic said, she was regenerated and got the medallion. The Poptropicans surrounded her, clapping. Sprocket buzzed around our heads.

"Well, time for me to go…" I turned away.

"You have to go now?" Sprocket whimpered.

"Maybe we'll see each other again one day." I replied, with a wink. Then I disappeared, preparing for my next adventure.


	18. Great Pumpkin

The Autumn breeze of Great Pumpkin island ruffled my blonde curls. Sitting on the golden grass were orangey-brown leaves and simplistic buildings. The island really held true to the style of the Peanuts comics it was adapted from.

For the first time in a while, I actually didn't feel threatened by anything. There were no gods, no pirates, no deadly plants, and no bionic, psychopathic half-humans. The only thing was a little plane scene, and some pumpkin-pushing. Not that they were a big deal.

Fierce Fox followed me over the cement path as we ran into the pumpkin garden. It was a bushy and leafy garden, filled with pumpkins peeking from the leaves. The grass felt soft beneath my feet.

A girl was standing in the garden. She had wavy, black hair, with two buns near her neck. She wore a lacey, pale blue dress, and black and white sneakers.

A little boy was next to her. He was wearing a red, striped t-shirt, and held a soft, baby-blue blanket. His sneakers were yellow, and his head was covered in wispy hair.

"Lucy wants me to find the biggest, heaviest pumpkin in the patch," the boy - Linus - asked. "Can you help me?"

The pumpkins were lined up in a row, standing nearby a seesaw-like scale. Fierce Fox and I tested out the pumpkins, until eventually we found the heaviest.

"Well, you picked a good pumpkin," Lucy approved begrudgingly. "But I doubt you blockheads can get it to our house in one piece!"

"I'm doomed!" Linus cried. "Can you two get it back to my house for me? If you do, I'll give you both a reward."

Fierce Fox and I looked at each other.

_This is gonna be fun…_

* * *

Fierce Fox heaved the pumpkin up a grassy, leaf-covered hill. I stood in front, both to direct and make sure the pumpkin didn't roll away to its demise. The pumpkin rolled down a slope, and we came to a section of rabbit holes.

I stood in front of the pumpkin again, grabbing it from the front, while Fierce Fox pushed. One of the rabbit's dirt holes began to shake, so I stopped the pumpkin. Then we rolled it over.

Finally, we got past the rabbit part (admittedly we may've failed once or twice) and arrived at the log. We stood on a small hill. Then, the both of us shoved the pumpkin, and it soared into the log. It popped out the other side, and we rolled it over another hill.

Then we came to a bunch of kids on swings. It was all down to the luck of the draw. Both of us shoved the pumpkin; unfortunately it got hit, so we had to start again. Great.

A gazillion tries later (thanks Poptropican logic) we finally passed the pumpkin part. The pumpkin was brought into Lucy's house, which had a yellow wallpaper, an orange, star-dotted carpet and a plain window. The pumpkin sat on a smashed cardboard box.

"Thanks for your help!" Linus grinned at us. "Here's a treat bag as the reward I promised." He handed a paper bag to Fierce Fox. Then he faced me. "Sorry, I don't have another one."

"It's fine," I shrugged. "We're going to lose it soon anyway."

Linus gave me a weird look. Then we turned to Lucy, who was wielding a sharp knife. She brought it down onto the pumpkin, making Linus' hair stand straight up.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!"

 _Poor boy,_ I sighed. _So sensitive…_

* * *

Cut to later that evening, and Linus was entertaining us with stories about the Great Pumpkin.

"On Halloween night, The Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch," Linus told us, waving his hands around. "He flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children."

I couldn't help but smile at his stories. He seemed so young and naive…

"You must be crazy!" a boy nearby us retorted.

He had fine hair, a yellow t-shirt with a black lighting bolt on the front, brown, leather sneakers and a circular body. He also had small, piggy eyes which beaded into my soul. His name was Charlie Brown, the most iconic Peanuts character alongside Snoopy.

"When are you going to stop believing in something that isn't true?" he asked.

Linus scowled. "When will you stop believing in that fellow with the red suit and white beard who goes 'ho ho ho'!"

"We are obviously separated by denominational differences." Charlie Brown scoffed, before walking away.

Fierce Fox and I exited too; we stopped in front of a house and spoke to a guy called Pig Pen. His name matched his appearance - he had dirty skin, scruffy hair, a brown, muddy overall and matching shoes. I handed him the treat bag.

"Thanks!" he grinned. "Here, take this sucker. It's lemon-flavoured. Blech!"

He handed me a lemon flavoured sucker, more commonly known as a lollipop. We returned to Linus' house and gave him the sucker/lollipop.

"Wow!" his eyes went huge. "Is that a lemon-flavoured sucker?" He held out an invitation. "Thanks! You can have my invitation to the party. I've got a prior engagement at the pumpkin patch."

"Does the invitation work for two people?" I asked, tapping my chin.

"Well… if you can convince someone else who was invited to the party to give their invitation up, then you could get one." Linus answered, facing me.

"Sally." I replied, with a grin.

Linus' eyes lit up again. "Oh! I was going to talk to her! I'll get you that invitation!"

He ran off, blanket flowing behind him. He was standing near a desk, so naturally he left a pen on it. After picking that up, we exited and headed left.

We entered a garden, which had tall, spiny, pale trees. Leaves covered the ground, and there was a big leaf pile in the center of the garden.

Charlie Brown was hanging out there, standing next to a red dog house. A small, white dog, with floppy, black ears was sitting on the ground. He had the colours of a border collie, but the shape of a beagle. Of course, it was none other than Snoopy.

"Hey, Snoopy, could you help me put these falling leaves back into the pile?" Charlie Brown asked Snoopy.

We helped Snoopy blow floating leaves back into the big pile, which took a little work.

"Thanks, old pal." Charlie Brown said.

Suddenly, Linus, screaming a battle cry, leaped into the pile of leaves, sending them flying everywhere.

"Good grief!" Charlie Brown exasperated - his iconic catchphrase.

"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker," Linus chuckled, his mouth covered in leaves. "Now, to mail my letter to the Great Pumpkin."

After he ran off, Fierce Fox and I scanned the pile of leaves. We pulled our hands through it, until we uncovered a baby-blue mass - Linus' blanket. Then, we exited the garden and found Linus, standing near a blue and red mailbox.

"Where did I put my blanket?" he asked apprehensively. I handed him his blanket. "You found my blanket! Thank you!"

Like an arm, he stretched out his blanket and pulled the mailbox's door open. Then he chucked the letter in the air; it flew straight into the mailbox's door, finished with it shutting tight.

Linus grinned at me. "Sally agreed to come to the pumpkin patch with me, so I got an invitation for you!" he handed me a party invitation. "Would you like to come with us as well?"

"We'd rather go to the party." I answered, holding up my invitation.

"I'll tell the Great Pumpkin you had a good excuse," Linus replied. "He's a strong supporter of Halloween merriment."

I gave him a nod, then Fierce Fox and I returned to the garden. Charlie Brown and Lucy were there. The latter was holding a brown football. We were about to witness one of the most famous Peanuts scenes in history.

"Hey, Charlie Brown, how about practicing a few placekicks?" Lucy asked, raising a brow.

"You just want me to come running up to kick that ball so you can pull it away and see me land flat on my back." Charlie Brown scoffed.

"This time you can trust me," Lucy assured him. "See, here's a document testifying that I promise not to pull it away." She held up a document.

"She's going to pull it away anyway." I whispered to Fierce Fox. I handed Charlie Brown a pen so he could sign the document.

"Now I'll finally kick that football!" he exclaimed. Lucy held the football above the ground, and Charlie Brown charged for it, his legs pumping. Lucy pulled it up just as he was about to kick it; he fell flat on his back.

"Peculiar thing about this document," Lucy observed the document. "It was never notarized!"

Charlie Brown scowled and got his feet. "Come on. We need to get our costumes ready before the Halloween party."

"What are we doing now?" Fierce Fox asked, once they left.

I smiled. "Going to the party."

* * *

Snoopy was standing on two legs (somehow Fierce Fox wasn't surprised by this, but yet again, this is Poptropica) on his dog house, gazing up at the tree. On the tree's branch was a green pilot's hat, with goggles, sort of like Amelia's hat.

Using Lucy's football, I chucked it at the hat, which was the most accurate throw I had ever done. It hit the hat, and it floated down onto Snoopy's head.

Fierce Fox leaped onto the dog house, controlled by her imagination. "Looks like the World War 1 Flying Ace is ready to take on the Red Baron."

I immediately thought of the Red Baroness, back on Monkey Wrench island. It led me to think about Amelia, too. Perhaps the first person who had befriended me.

I climbed aboard the 'flying ace'. We took off into the orange, sunset-lit sky. There were pale yellow and red clouds floating around, as well as the Red Baron, who was actually just Woodstock. Our doghouse flew around, steam trailing behind us.

I'm no pilot, but I actually didn't do half-bad. Fierce Fox, the amazing natural at everything, of course had it all down pat. The both of us managed to direct the doghouse well enough.

We swerved it out of the way of the Red Baron's strikes, though he got us once or twice. Our smoke turned red, as if we were bleeding. Then, the doghouse started going down, and we landed in 'enemy territory'.

The sky had turned navy blue, stars twinkling like diamonds. The grass felt soft beneath my feet. It would've been pretty if there wasn't a large spotlight reaching down from the sky, coming down to track us.

"Uh oh, we're in enemy territory," Fierce Fox said. "We'd better hide!"

"This way." I replied, eyeing the spotlight. We hid behind a rock, and the searchlight passed over us.

When it was out of sight, we ran again and dropped into a trench. It was a near miss when I had to grab Fierce Fox. Adrenaline rushed through me again as we hid behind another rock. Then we moved again, hiding behind a haystack, then a waymarker.

Eventually we got to the hardest part - the old farm house. It was an old, cobblestone farm house, with a smashed glass window and straw roof. Snoopy caught up to us once the searchlight was out of sight.

Then, Fierce Fox jumped up, landing on the roof. The searchlight was returning as I was scrambling up. I yelped and rolled onto the roof, but too late. We had to start over. Fierce Fox was not impressed.

Once we had actually completed that section, we arrived at a little crop. There was a scarecrow standing there, with a mask over its face.

I picked the mask up and handed it to Fierce Fox; she put it on. Snoopy was sitting on the ground, peering around for enemies. However, there were no more enemies in sight (thank goodness).

I walked over to an abandoned barn, which was to my right. The walls were cobblestone, and the roof was straw. Lights flickered through the broken windows. Then I realized I didn't have a Halloween costume.

Suddenly, I got an idea. If Fierce Fox's Halloween costume came from the scarecrow, then so could mine.

I pulled the brown jacket and hat off the scarecrow, which were covered in hay. I placed them on myself, so I looked a little scary. Hopefully. The hay scratched my skin and got caught in my scarf, but I endured it for the sake of the party. Bless me, because they let us both in.

We went inside the house. Fierce Fox blinked.

"Wow," she shook her head. "I really got carried away there…"

"Happens to the best of us," I shrugged at her.

The house had pink walls, and a darker pink carpet. There were Halloween decorations all over the wall, such as witches, skeletons, and of course, pumpkins. An old TV was at the back of the room.

We started to play all the party games. The first one was apple bobbing, which I had never actually done in real life. It was pretty challenging, but I managed to nip a few apples. Lucy had a... different story.

"Blech!" Lucy wiped her lips. "Dog lips touched my lips!"

Snoopy walked away, casually. Then we moved on to carving jack o'lanterns. I'm no more of an artist than a pilot, so I just drew a smiley face.

"Ha!" a girl standing nearby said. "That looks great!"

I wondered if she was being sarcastic.

Next up was Pin the Face on the Pumpkin. Since Sally had gone to wait for the Great Pumpkin, it was hosted by Charlie Brown. We basically had to watch a pumpkin swirl around in a circle, then when it stopped, we had to place the pumpkin parts in the right places. Not terribly difficult, to be honest.

Once that was over, we headed to the end of the room, where a boy called Schroeder was playing the piano. I asked if I could play. The setup of the game was like Just Dance, except with a piano and a dancing Snoopy.

Notes fell down from the sky and landed on my piano, and I hit the keys. My eyes darted everywhere as I kept hitting keys (I missed a few), but with Fierce Fox's help, it was relatively easy.

By the end of it, Snoopy was partying hard. I couldn't help but smile.

Lucy stepped forward. "This party's been fun, but it's time for trick or treats! Let's put on our costumes!"

The screen blacked out again, and we were teleported back to the pumpkin patch, all dressed in our costumes. I say that very liberally; pretty much everyone aside from Fierce Fox and myself wore a half-assed ghost costume.

"All right, once and for all, are you staying or are you coming?" Charlie Brown asked Linus, who was still in the pumpkin patch with a grouchy Sally. I don't think she was having a good night.

"Can I go?" she asked, furrowing her brow at Linus.

"No!" Linus cried. "The Great Pumpkin is still coming!"

Sally groaned into her palms.

"Oh good grief!" Charlie Brown exasperated. "Come on gang, it's time for tricks or treats."

They all left the scene, carrying their treat bags. Fierce Fox and I followed after them.

We came to the first house, which looked like every other house on the island. Fierce Fox knocked on the door, and the resident threw out candy. I leaped into the air and grabbed some popcorn.

"I got popcorn." I said.

"I got a rock." Charlie Brown said, holding out his treat bag.

We moved onto the next house, and this time I knocked on the door and Fierce Fox grabbed the candy. She got a lollipop, and Charlie Brown got a rock.

"So, you go trick or treating much?" Fierce Fox asked me.

"Not much anymore," I replied. "I used to go with my dad, but…"

"What do you usually do on Halloween, then?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Honestly, not much," I admitted. "My mom just buys me candy."

"Hmm," Fierce Fox raised her brow. "Does this make you remember how you used to go trick and treating?"

I smiled. "Yeah. A bit."

We reached the final house. The residents threw out their candy. I reached out, grabbing my share.

"I got candy sticks." I said.

"I got a rock." Charlie Brown said, totally surprising everyone (not).

Then Fierce Fox and I left the trick-or-treaters, and returned to the pumpkin patch. I gave Sally all the candy we gathered, as a gift of our pitiful souls, because we were little sweethearts.

"Thank you!" Linus cried. "The only thing that will make this night better is the inevitable arrival of the Great Pumpkin!"

"Hey!" Fierce Fox yelped. "Did you hear something?" She pointed to a rumbling pumpkin. "What is that?!"

All of us faced the pumpkin.

"What's that?" Linus squealed, hairs on his head sticking up like antenna. "I hear the Great Pumpkin!"

The pumpkin lifted up, revealing… Snoopy.

"I was robbed!" Sally growled, her grimace directed straight at poor Linus. "I spent the whole night waiting for the Great Pumpkin, when I could have gone to the Halloween party and trick or treating! Halloween is over, and I missed it! You blockhead!"

"You've heard about the fury of a woman scorned?" Linus questioned. "That's nothing compared to the fury of a woman who has been cheated out of trick and treats."

Sally stormed away without another word.

"Sally!" Linus cried. "If the Great Pumpkin comes, I'll put in a good word for you!" He turned to us. "Good grief - I said 'if'! I meant when he comes! I'm doomed!"

"Don't worry," I assured him. "We'll wait with you."

I sat down on the ground. Fierce Fox sat down next to me, while Linus gazed at the pumpkin patch.

"So…" Fierce Fox asked, raising a brow at me. "What's… uh, your world, like?'

"Shh," I whispered, eyeing Linus. "My world? Well… it's different from Poptropica. There are islands, but there aren't any quests. They're called countries. And also, it's way easier to die, and I mean way easier. And, I'm a human, which are kinda similar to Poptropicans, except we can't jump, run fast and we're much taller. Oh, and we have thumbs. The physics are different too. Like, remember Super Power Island? There were way too many instances where we could've died if it was Earth. Even jumping off a building is fatal for us. However, Poptropica and my world - Earth - have similarities, too. I mean, our tech is similar. And Poptropica and Earth are both planets, and share the same name in some instances."

"Okay..." Fierce Fox replied, making a face. "So, there's no island medallions?"

"Nope," I answered. "Earth is not like Poptropica. There aren't quests. We just live in houses, go to school, go to work. We're not adventurers. Just people."

"And... Poptropica is a game or something, right?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I nodded, "Yeah. It is. We humans… we create you. I know that sounds really weird." I coughed. "If you want an idea of what my world looks like… well, the next island is actually a good representation. We're going to real countries in my world."

"I see," Fierce Fox replied. She grimaced. "You know, about the prophecy… my dad…"

"Your dad knew I was going to come here?" I asked.

Fierce Fox turned away, shoulders hunched.

"Fierce Fox…" I reached out.

"I'll prove him wrong," she told me. "We'll save Poptropica, won't we?"

Her gaze pierced into my soul. I stepped back, hand on chest. And then I smiled.

"Yeah," I nodded. "We will."

"Thanks for taking care of my brother," a voice said behind me. It belonged to Lucy, who was walking over. "Here's something for all your trouble." She handed Fierce Fox the medallion.

"See you." I waved to Fierce Fox, my screen fading out.


End file.
